Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship Fund

This post--with pictures!--originally ran in the September 2012 Cedar Park Neighbors newsletter. Didn't receive a newsletter? Consider becoming a member of Cedar Park Neighbors by clicking here. By Laurie Friedman, Scholarship Chair

The CPN Scholarship Committee was proud to present scholarship awards of $1000 this year to each of the recipients named below. We recognize these students for their hard work and success in high school, their service to the community, and their continued commitment to furthering their education at the post-secondary level. We truly appreciate the support of all our neighbors and local businesses who contributed to supporting our youth!

Since 1989, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) has raised money and given modest scholarships to support students from the neighborhood in their pursuit of higher education. Unlike many restricted scholarships, Cedar Park’s scholarship offers students funds to pay for any and all school-related expenses, which could be anything from tuition and books, to something as simple as transportation to and from school.

Congratulations to the following Cedar Park Scholars!

Sara Ghebremariam is a graduate of West Catholic High School and will be graduating in December from the University of Pennsylvania where she is majoring in Psychology.

Dung Nguyen graduated from West Catholic High School and is headed into her senior year atTempleUniversity where she majors in Pharmacy.

Antionette Trt graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls and is starting her senior year at Hampton University where she majors in Political Science.

Hanh Nguyen graduated from West Catholic High School and will begin her junior year at Temple University in the Fall where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s of Nursing degree.

Zachary Spence graduated from George Washington Carver High School for Engineering & Science and is heading into his junior year at the Howard University School of Engineering.

Briana Lane graduated from West Philadelphia High School and is heading into her sophomore year at Widener University. She is majoring in Psychology.

Dear Cedar Park Neighbors:

First off, I would like to thank you for selecting me as this year’s recipient of the Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship. As tuition continues to increase, the scholarship is greatly needed. This academic year was successful! I had a number of accomplishments, one becoming a member of the 1867 Howard University traveling basketball team. Not only do I have a passion for the game, but it keeps me focused in all things I do. I have learned in college that time management is crucial. From balancing practices, game days, and my studies I have developed a skill that has proved to be effective. This semester I received all A’s and a C, my best performance thus far. I received a C in my Differential Equations course. It was challenging but with my dedication and the help of my professors and colleagues I received an overall score of a 78. In all, I finished my semester with a 3.5 GPA and made the Dean’s List.

This summer I am back in Philadelphia continuing my internship at the NAVY Yard. My role as an intern gives me hands on experience as a computer engineer and allows me to obtain valuable knowledge outside of the classroom setting. I have been given the task to help develop a simulator for the Navy’s submarine ships. The simulator is composed of two tanks which transfer water between themselves and a reservoir. My responsibility is to construct a computer program that will control the simulator and allow users to conduct preferred functions. I am excited to see my final results at the end of the summer.

Once again I would like thank the Cedar Park Scholarship Fund for selecting me as a recipient of this scholarship!

Best Regards,

Zachary Spence