Toyota Awards $1.12 Million In Scholarships To 100 High School Seniors

Winners at top of class in both academics and community service

May 11, 2007- Louisville, KY - Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) rewarded 100 high school seniors with $1.12 million in college scholarships for their commitment to education and community service at an awards banquet tonight.

The winners, who make up the 11th class of Toyota Community Scholars, were chosen from a pool of more than 8,000 students nationwide nominated by their schools. To be eligible, students must be proven leaders both in the classroom and in their communities.

Based on the countless service projects conducted by the 2007 class, it is clear these 100 students view community service not as an obligation, but a way of life. As one Scholar, Brian Fontenot of Baytown, Texas, put it: "I have found that the influence volunteering has had on me is not one big factor, but many small details merged together, shaping who I am, how much I understand about life and teaching me compassion toward others."

For the 2007 class, their dreams of making a difference became reality through programs ranging from raising $25,000 toward the fight against muscular dystrophy to the promotion of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to gas-fueled engines to combating hunger through the growing of over 111,000 pounds of fresh vegetables that were then donated to local food pantries.

"What these 100 high school seniors have accomplished in regard to community service and academics at such a young age is truly amazing," said Michael Rouse, TMS corporate manager of philanthropy and community affairs. "Their commitment to helping those in need is inspiring. The future holds no limits; we are convinced they will have a very positive impact on the world around them."

The scholarships are valued at $20,000 or $10,000 each, over four years, for study at a four-year college or university starting in the fall of 2007. Since the Toyota Community Scholars program began in 1997, TMS has awarded over $12 million in scholarships to 1,100 students across the U.S.

Cristina Costantini, a Toyota Community Scholar from Milwaukee, Wis., is a prime example of the dedication to community service exhibited by this year's class. As the founder of "Bikes for Sierra Leone," Costantini oversaw a volunteer network that collected and refurbished over 300 bicycles for school-age children and teachers of this impoverished, war-ravaged country in Africa. (Because many students and teachers live three to seven miles from the nearest school, transportation is a significant barrier to education in Sierra Leone.)

Costantini organized a drive to collect bikes, school supplies and medical supplies -- plus raised the $8,800 it took to ship the items to Sierra Leone. In addition to the bikes, 70 computers and crates of supplies were donated.

Consequently, Costantini, like many of the Scholars, found community service to be the roadmap to what she wants to do in the future. "I am considering a career in the field of Foreign Service, and I hope someday to be involved in humanitarian projects on a larger scale."

The Toyota Community Scholars program is administered by Educational Testing Services in Princeton, N.J. The 12 national winners ($20,000 each) and 88 regional winners ($10,000 each) were selected by a panel of college and university admissions officials from across the U.S.

The scholarship winners were guests of honor tonight at an awards banquet in Louisville that was attended by education, community, business and government leaders. Rory Kennedy, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, was the keynote speaker.

The two-and-a-half-day program included a tour of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., in Georgetown, which builds the Camry, Camry hybrid, Avalon and Solara vehicles. In addition, the Scholars cruised the Ohio River on the Belle of Louisville (a historic paddle wheeler), and participated in a "ride and drive" that put them behind the wheel of four Toyota vehicles: FJ Cruiser, Yaris, RAV4 and Camry.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.

 

2007 TOYOTA COMMUNITY SCHOLARS

 

 

                                                            CITY                                 HIGH SCHOOL

 

ALABAMA

Robert Whitaker                                 Birmingham                      Briarwood Christian High School

 

 

ALASKA

Hannah Watkins                                 Kenai                                 Kenai Central High School           

 

 

ARIZONA

Anita Lin                                              Scottsdale                         Desert Mountain High School

Anthony Sciubba                                Gilbert                                Higley High School

 

 

ARKANSAS

Kent Butler                                          Berryville                           Berryville High School

 

 

CALIFORNIA

Bartell Cope                                        Aptos                                 Stevenson School

Jaclyn D’Arcy *                                   Soquel                               Merit Academy

Angela Holcomb                                 Inglewood                          Morningside High School

Karen Hong                                        Rohnert Park                     Montgomery High School 

Jacky Kwong                                      San Francisco                  Lowell High School

Brett Mamer                                        Brawley                             Brawley Union High School

Maxwell Murialdo *                              Westminster                     Los Alamitos High School

Ann Thompson                                   Paso Robles                     Templeton High School

 

 

COLORADO

Cara Feldkamp                                   Evergreen                         Denver School of the Arts

Stacey Squatrito                                 Colorado Springs              Pine Creek High School

 

 

CONNECTICUT

Elizabeth Americo                              Guilford                              Guilford High School

 

 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Hannah Baker                                     Bolling AFB                       Annapolis Area Christian School

 

 

FLORIDA

Erin Cloninger                                     Oviedo                               Oviedo High School

Bing Han                                             Jacksonville                       Stanton College Preparatory School

Quintin Haynes *                                Rockledge                         Rockledge High School

Evan Kalina                                        Miami                                 Felix Varela Senior High School

Benjamin McAfee                               Cooper City                       Cooper City High School


 

                                                            CITY                                 HIGH SCHOOL

 

GEORGIA

Andrew Hollar                                     Suwanee                           South Forsyth High School

 

 

HAWAII

Kyle Monette                                       Mililani                                Mililani High School

 

 

IDAHO

Keegan Poppen                                  Eagle                                 River Stone Community School

 

 

ILLINOIS                                           

Patrick Lee                                         South Barrington               Barrington Community High School

 

 

INDIANA

Reed Spencer                                    Rochester                         Rochester Community High School

Andrea Stevens                                  Hamilton                            Hamilton Community School

Gautham Vaidyanathan                      Granger                             Penn High School

 

 

IOWA

Tony Wang                                         Urbandale                          Valley High School

 

 

KANSAS

Connie Hu                                           Olathe                               Olathe South High School

Ashley Kongs                                     Washington                       Washington County High School

Mallory Mahoney                                 Russell                              Russell High School

 

 

KENTUCKY

Jacob Edwards                                  Columbia                           Adair County High School

David Tao II                                         Bardstown                         The McCallie School

Kristen Wilburn                                   Rush                                 Boyd County High School

 

 

LOUISIANA

Huang Huang                                      Shreveport                        Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Tanmay Misra                                     Lafayette                           Lafayette High School

 

 

MAINE

Brittanny Lee *                                    West Bath                         Morse High School

 

 

MARYLAND

Erica Esposito                                    Columbia                           Glenelg Country School

 

                                                            CITY                                 HIGH SCHOOL

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Hui Feng                                             West Roxbury                   Boston Latin School

Vivek Sant                                           Andover                             Andover High School

 

 

MICHIGAN

Simran Chawa                                   Sterling Heights                 Utica High School

Yanyao Fu                                          Battle Creek                      Lakeview High School

Jane Yang *                                        Ypsilanti                             Lincoln Senior High School

 

 

MINNESOTA

Tyler Josephson                                 Redwood Falls                  Redwood Valley High School

Emma McGlennen                             Edina                                 Edina High School

 

 

MISSISSIPPI

Erica Pannell                                      Tupelo                               Tupelo High School

Latoyia Slay                                        Greenville                          St. Joseph High School

 

 

MISSOURI

Jennifer Kinney                                   Saint Charles                    Duchesne High School

John Miller                                           Springfield                         Glendale High School

Stephen Robertson                            Lincoln                               Lincoln R-II High School

Kristi Williams *                                  Saint Joseph                     Mid-Buchanan R-V High School

 

 

MONTANA

Allison Mullin                                       Stevensville                       Stevensville High School

 

 

NEVADA

Shaan Patel                                        Las Vegas                         Ed W. Clark High School

 

 

NEW JERSEY

Matthew Cortland *                             Marlton                              Cherokee High School

Dana Eiselen                                      Ocean City                        Ocean City High School

Michal Ilewski                                      Clark                                  Arthur L. Johnson High School

Leslie Labruto                                     Spring Lake Heights          Manasquan High School

Mohammad Modarres                        Paramus                           Paramus High School

Bessie Young                                     Lebanon                            Voorhees High School

 

 

NEW YORK

Gerald Antoine                                    Laurelton                           George Westinghouse High School

Daniel Lynch                                       Staten Island                     Staten Island Technical High School

Shivani Radhakrishnan                      Middletown                        Minisink Valley High School          

 

                                                            CITY                                 HIGH SCHOOL

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Annie Clark                                         Raleigh                              Sanderson High School

Chase Jenkins                                    Franklin                             Highlands School

Sharon Nwaebube                              Raleigh                              Millbrook High School

Alexander Selig                                   Morganton                         Freedom High School

 

 

NORTH DAKOTA

Jacob Holm                                        Valley City                         Maple Valley High School

 

 

OHIO

Elaine Householder                            Bidwell                               River Valley High School

Colleen Judge                                     Dayton                               Oakwood High School

Kelsey Stefanik-Sidener                     Columbia Station              Columbia Local High School

 

 

OKLAHOMA

Jourdan Godwin                                 Fort Gibson                       Fort Gibson High School

Austin Scott                                        Norman                             Norman North High School

 

 

OREGON

Kaitlyn Paysinger                                Dayton                               Dayton Senior High School

 

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Alexander Brothers                             Chadds Ford                     Kennett High School

Carolyn Fox                                        Devon                                Conestoga High School

 

 

PUERTO RICO

Francesca Montanile                          Humacao                          The Palmas Academy

 

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Megan Millard                                      Greer                                 The Culver Academies

 

 

TENNESSEE

Tatiana Patsimas                               Normandy                         Tullahoma High School

 

 


 

                                                            CITY                                 HIGH SCHOOL

TEXAS

William Arbery                                    Dallas                                Cistercian Preparatory School

Caitlin Comfort                                   San Antonio                       Saint Mary’s Hall

Brian Fontenot *                                 Baytown                            Ross S. Sterling High School

Laura Gordon                                     League City                       Clear Creek High School

Britni Ihle                                             Keller                                 Keller High School

Kevin Rustagi                                     Houston                             Westside High School

Laurie Seidel                                       Dallas                                Greenhill School

 

 

UTAH

Mark Evans *                                      Sandy                                Hillcrest High School

 

 

VERMONT

Shannon Jackson                               Essex Junction                 Essex High School

 

 

VIRGINIA

Christopher Cassidy *                        Annandale                         Falls Church High School

Aagya Mathur                                      Tabb                                  New Horizons Governor’s School

Shannon Walker                                 Purcellville                         Foxcroft School

 

 

WASHINGTON

Josephine Garcia *                             Bellingham                        Squalicum High School

 

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Gabrielle Ash                                      Salem                                Doddridge County High School

Kathryn Turner                                   Bristol                                Liberty High School

 

 

WISCONSIN

Cristina Costantini *                           Milwaukee                         University School of Milwaukee

Aaron Knodle                                      Neillsville                           Neillsville High School

Marie Mahaney                                   Brodhead                          Brodhead Senior High School

Amanda Meyer                                   Madison                             Madison East High School

 

 

WYOMING

Marissa Wilson                                   Evanston                           Evanston High School

 

 

* National winner - $20,000 scholarship

 

All others receive $10,000 scholarship

 

2007 TOYOTA COMMUNITY SCHOLARS
Community Service Snapshots

Following is a small sampling of community service projects performed by the 2007 class of Toyota Community Scholars (more detail can be provided upon request; student interviews can also be arranged).

• Organized the Swim-a-thon for Muscular Dystrophy, which has raised more than $25,000 in five years for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This Scholar has been involved with MDA since he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy more than 10 years ago. An avid swimmer, he created the Swim-a-thon for Muscular Dystrophy in 1999 with his local swim and dive team to raise funds for MDA and awareness among his community about the plight of those affected by Muscular Dystrophy. (Christopher Cassidy, Annandale, Va.)

• Started Teen Trendsetters, a program that involves more than 65 students from his high school who dedicate two-and-a-half hours of community service weekly. The high school students serve as mentors to students at two local elementary schools. Members of Trendsetters have organized field trips, dances and festivals for the elementary school students they mentor. (Quintin Haynes, Rockledge, Fla.)

• Founded Kids 4 Hydrogen, a non-profit organization that works to educate students and adults about why hydrogen should become America's energy choice of the future. She has given speeches and presentations in California and beyond about Kids 4 Hydrogen and the importance of alternative fuels. Arranged a meeting of the top 20 energy experts in California at her school. Her research convinced her that hydrogen fuel cells were a safe, reliable and feasible alternative to gas-fueled engines. (Jaclyn D'Arcy, Soquel, Calif.)

• After watching his mother battle cancer and hearing her account of the time she received her first free wig during chemotherapy treatments, this Scholar was inspired to help the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Cancer Center with their growing need for new or gently used wigs and head coverings. That is when he founded HEADing for a Cure, which collects wigs and head coverings for women battling cancer who lost their hair during chemotherapy. Before HEADing for a Cure, the Center had only five usable wigs. Today, it has over 75 wigs and permanent donation sites throughout the community have been established to continue expanding its inventory. (Brian Fontenot, Baytown, Texas)

• Seeing a need in their community, this Scholar and her sister co-founded Gardening for Families, a project that raises fresh vegetables for food pantries and disadvantaged families. Since 2001, more than 111,000 pounds of fresh vegetables have been raised and donated by Gardening for Families. She also established Project Growing Together, which provides free garden plants and growing instructions to families in need to help them reduce food shortages. (Kristi Williams, St. Joseph, Mo.)

©2011 Toyota Motor North America, Inc. All information herein applies to U.S. vehicles only