Young Parent Scholarship Awarded to BCHS Student

On May 13, BCHS seniors gathered in the theatre for Scholarship Night. A proud night for students and their parents, this event gave organizations the chance to recognize outstanding students for their hard work in academics, athletics, community service, and other activities. During the presentations, two members of Defenders of Life club took the mic and introduced a new scholarship called the Young Parents Scholarship.

Founded in the Fall of 2012, Defenders of Life club established a scholarship fund this year for high school seniors with dependant children who plan to pursue a higher education. "As seniors we all stress about paying for college and scholarships are our golden opportunities to get an education with as little debt as possible," said Bella Ayala, the founder and former president of the club. "With this in mind we want to recognize the courage and perseverance of students who continue forward with their education despite the challenges of being teen parents." Defenders of Life club members worked together to raise $500 for this scholarship, selling snacks at school and delivering St. Patrick's Day grams. The requirements for applying to the scholarship included having at least a 2.0 GPA and enrolling in a vocational school or 2-4 year college/university. The scholarship committee--which consisted of MUHSD counselors who work with teen parents all around the district--reviewed applications from the various school sites.

At Scholarship Night the club announced Pakoula Vang as the first recipient of the Young Parents Scholarship. Throughout high school, Pakoula has taken AP classes and been an active member of Asian Club, Community Counts, Key Club, and Defenders of Life club. She plans to major in Child Development and Liberal Arts and pursue a career in education. At the same time, Pakoula is a dedicated mother who is willing to make sacrifices out of love for her daughter and derives motivation from her role as a parent. In her scholarship essay, Pakoula wrote: "I want my daughter to know that mom is educated, mom can financially support her, mom can help her with life, and that mom will always be there. [...] let your child be your motivation in life. Let her open the door for you to realize that it isn't over. Not yet, and not ever, you continue on."

The club hopes to continue this scholarship in the future and is working to get community members involved in this cause. If you would like to donate to the Young Parents Scholarship fund, you can send a check to Buhach Colony High School by mail written for BCHS Defenders of Life Club (please write "Young Parents Scholarship" in the memo line). For more information about this scholarship or the other activities Defenders of Life club is involved in, email the club at DefendersofLife.BCHS@gmail.com.

It's Diaper Drive Time!!!!

 

 

Defenders of Life Club will be collecting diapers for JMJ Maternity Homes, a center that provides housing for pregnant women who face financial crises as well as job training and other services. This is a competition between 1st Period classes at BCHS to see which class can bring in the most diapers (must be new).

 

PRIZES:
1st Place class gets their choice of pizza or doughnuts

2nd Place class gets doughnuts

 

Ends Wednesday, May 29