COMMUNITY: Optimist Club of Coronado awards scholarships to high school seniors

Optimist Club of Coronado Announces 2022 Local High School Senior Scholarship Recipients

By Bill Parry Photos by Cynthia Kosciuczyk

(L to R) Front row: Rene Navarro, Monisha Gunasekera, Emma Borgie (not L), Rose Cuthbert Back row: Scholarship Committee: Cheryl Sylvester, Flord Humphreys, Bill Parry, John Watson and Optimist Club President-Elect Paul Lull

ach year the Optimist Club of Coronado provides scholarships to high school seniors who are Coronado residents. Scholarships are awarded to selected applicants who are members of Junior Optimist International (JOI), or cadets in Navy Junior Reserve O cer Training Corps (NJROTC), or have earned Boy Scout Eagles and Girl Scout Gold Awards. Applicants are judged on their level of participation in their respective organization, academic achievement, involvement in other school activities, community volunteerism and a written essay. Scholarship funding is provided by the Optimist Club upon award winners’ matriculation at a four-year college or university, junior college or a trade/vocational school. This year, the Optimist Club awarded a total of $6,000 to scholarship winners.

Top Left: (L to R) Rene with his parents, Monisha with her parents, Emma with her parents, Rose and her Mother Top Right: (L to R) Rene Navarro, Monisha Gunasekera, Emma Borgie (not L), Rose Cuthbert

Each year the Optimist Club receives many outstanding scholarship applications, which was especially true this year. As a result, the Optimist Club Scholarship Committee judged the top two applicants from JOI and from the cadets to be virtually indistinguishable. Accordingly, two scholarships were awarded in these two categories (no applications were received from the Scouts). This year’s winners were presented their awards at the Optimist Club’s Thursday morning meeting on May 19th. All winners are members of the Coronado High School (CHS) Honor Society, have grade point averages between 3.81 and 4.53 and are members of CHS sports teams.

Junior Optimist International winners:

Emma Borgie, who is President of JOI, earned the Girl Scout Gold Award and is a participant in many CHS and community activities. She will attend Notre Dame University and intends to become an Aerospace Engineer.

Rose Cuthbert has held many leadership positions in JOI and is Vice President this year. She was CHS Varsity Soccer Team Assistant Coach her senior year and tutors community members. Rose will attend UC Santa Cruz majoring in Marine Biology.

Navy Junior Reserve O cer Training Corps winners:

Rene Navarro is unit Commanding O cer and has held many other leadership positions. He is a volunteer veteran instructor and a student physical therapist. Rene will attend University of Arizona to study Computer Science.

Monisha Gunasekera is president of the UNICEF Club, the Green Club and tutors elementary school students. Monisha was accepted to Columbia University on a NROTC Scholarship and intends to become a Naval Aviator.

The Optimist Club of Coronado is proud to recognize these scholarship winners as the best of the best and looks forward to hearing of their success at future meetings.

• Bill Parry is the chairman for the Optimist Club Scholarship Committee. Committee members are: JOl Optimist Leader Mrs. Erin Downey. NJROTC Leader Capt. Patrick Rabin, USN Ret. Optimist Club President Mrs. Renee Cavanaugh. and John Watson.