Earlier this week the West Coast Jamboree (a 501c3) announced the three winners of its Third Annual Scholarship Program, the only one of its kind in any high school tournament in the nation in any sport for girls or boys.
The winners for the 2018 tournament are Alyssa Andrews of Vintage-Napa, Klara Astrom of Pinewood-Los Altos Hills and Paige Lyons of Eureka.
The three recipients were selected from 24 finalists by a committee including Jamboree founder David Jackson. The finalists came from over 50 girls that submitted applications and met the criteria that involved maintaining a 3.0 GPA, community service, letters of recommendation from coaches and administrators, a short essay about what it meant to play in the Jamboree, and the experience of meeting girls from places afar in the largest girls high school basketball tournament in the nation.
Each recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship to be used toward verifiable and approved college expenses.
When Jackson started the tournament 20-years ago one of his dreams was to turn the tournament into a non-profit and give away scholarships. It took almost 12 years to get the non-profit status and another four years to start the Scholarship Program, but the progress is moving along.
So far, in three years the Jamboree has given away $22,500 in scholarships, and plans for the 2019 Jamboree, our 20th year, is to widen the criteria to include even more applicants, including needs based applicants, and expand the number of scholarships with the help of corporate sponsorships.
“I am so pleased and proud of the success of the Scholarship Program these first three years, and I’m looking forward to the possibility of it being expanded and including a needs based criteria,” Jackson remarked. “This has become part of what the West Coast Jamboree is all about. On behalf of the West Cost Jamboree, congratulations to our 2018 recipients, Alyssa, Klara and Paige.”
Alyssa Andrews – “Being able to participate in a tournament like the West Coast Jamboree was extremely beneficial for not only myself but my team as well because of the crazy competition you get to see. To be selected from a group so big and so deserving makes me extremely proud of everything I’ve done up to this point. Next year I plan on studying environmental science at UC Santa Barbara and I am so grateful for the chance to continue my education with the help of this scholarship.”
Klara Astrom – “Being able to play in the West Coast Jamboree is such an honor. You get the chance to compete against the best schools and best talent on the West Coast. You get the opportunity to play your biggest rivals in the preseason and play against teams you have never played against before. Winning a scholarship like this means that I’m one step closer to achieving my goal of going to college and graduating with the least amount of student debt possible. Choosing an Ivy League school like Yale gives me the opportunity to study biology at one of the best universities in the world, but unfortunately no athletic scholarships are awarded. Being the recipient of this scholarship means I’m one step closer to graduating and hopefully going to medical school and becoming a doctor.
Paige Lyons – Playing in the Jamboree was very exciting because there was so much talent in one place. I loved being able to play teams that came from different areas of the west coast and had a variety of skills and players. Playing in the tournament was eye-widening as I feel that I was able to experience what it is like playing against more competitive girls and having to push harder and bring more effort to the table when playing against teams that play all year around. I am extremely grateful to win the West Coast Jamboree Scholarship because I believe that it really honors the challenge of being a student athlete. Basketball was not the sport that necessarily came easy for me as I had to continuously work hard to keep up my skill. Being the Co-Salutatorian on top of that took a lot of dedication and energy. The West Coast Jamboree Scholarship will make a huge contribution towards my future and will help my future dreams become a reality. Next year I will be attending the University of California-Berkeley while exploring my interests for the future. Some of my future career ideas lie within the science fields. I also intend on either minoring or majoring in Spanish. Receiving this scholarship mean a lot to me as it will help me achieve success in the near future
Other Scholarship Program Finalists
Hope Alley – Foothill-Pleasanton
Teresa Ascencio – Holy Names
Mielle Bazzano – Middletown
Kidest Befikadu – Heritage-Brentwood
Kennedi Cox – Rodriguez-Fairfield
Megan Downing – College Park-Pleasant Hill
Kenny Hamlin – Churchill County, Nevada
Lily Hitchcock – Mt. Shasta
Emily Jacobson – Liberty-Brentwood
Allie Korst – Sir Francis Drake-San Anselmo
Kayden Korst – San Domenico-San Anselmo
Makenzie McFarlane – Whitney-Rocklin
Lily Teders – Seattle Prep, Washington
Tiffany Siu – Oakland Tech-Oakland
Isabella Thompson – Las Lomas-Walnut Creek
Sheridan Todd – Concord
Kelsey Valencia – Atwater
Jacquelin Velasquez – Emery-Emeryville
Jenny Walker – Redwood-Larkspur
Jenna Wallace – Foothill-Palo Cedro
Kamryn You Mak – Bay School-San Francisco
