Standing: James Riddle, Cicely & Devard Darling, Kelsey Wingert, Erica Collins, Nathan Truong
Seated: Brianna Bonnette, Madiha Sajid, Ashlee Sherman, Catherine Alia, Elise Kaufman (not pictured: Andrew Suter)
Congratulations to all of the 2010 Devard & Devaughn Darling Senior High School Award recipients. These outstanding students were honored with a luncheon in Houston, Texas in July 2010. Congratulating the scholarship winners were Devard and Cicely Darling, Tomia Austin, Executive Director of the As One Foundation, and members of the Board of Directors.
In honor of Devaughn Darling, this scholarship is designed to give students encouragement and financial assistance for their future educational goals. The award recognizes outstanding academic achievement, leadership, community involvement and special interests and talents.
The 2010 grant recipients are:
Kelsey Wingert is a leader both on and off the field of competition. Kelsey’s passion for sports is evident by her play on the volleyball court, she leads by example and as a result, was voted varsity volleyball team captain during her junior and senior year at Stephen F. Austin High School. In addition to leading her volleyball team, Kelsey also leads in her community, when hurricane Ike and hurricane Rita devastated the state of Texas; she assisted in efforts to rebuild her community. This fall LSU will truly be getting a gem that will make a positive impact on the culture of their university as well as in their local community.
Madiha Sajid is truly a diverse talent with dreams and aspirations of becoming a doctor. Over the years Madiha has honed her skills through H.O.S.A (Health Occupation Students of America) competitions. Each year Madiha has shown improvements in her abilities. In 2010, she represented Hightower High School very well by winning first place in the area level competition. Madiha went on to compete in the state level H.O.S.A competitions and won a very respectable second place. This fall, Trinity University will receive a true competitor who will represent their university very well in the future.
Ashlee Sherman is a strong young woman with a maturity level beyond her years. Ashlee’s determination has carried her to success in a variety of different areas. During her tenure at Hightower High School she won the Fort Bend ISD Academic Award in 2007 & 2009. Ashlee has also received accolades for her musical abilities on the piano, as well as the saxophone. The diversity that Ashlee represents is well respected, but her passion is engineering, and she will leave an indelible mark on that field. This fall, Ashlee will attend Prairie View A & M University where she will achieve great levels of success as an electrical engineering major.
Elise Kaufman strives to be the best at whatever it is that she does. This level of determination was instilled in her at an early age by her parents. Elise’s accomplishments as a student athlete prove that her parent’s teachings were well received. In the classroom, Elise was the winner of the academic excellence award from 2007 – 2010. As a diver, Elise was an All American Qualifier in 2010 and won numerous awards throughout the district, as well as the region. After graduating this summer in the top 25% of her class at Clements High School, Elise will attend Calvin College where she plans to major in psychology.
Brianna Bonnette is a truly gifted student who displayed many unique talents while at Hightower High School. Brianna’s leadership qualities were on full display during her high school career through her club participation with the International Thespian Society/Drama club. Brianna was not only a club member, but she served as the vice president of the club her junior year, in addition to serving as the President of the organization throughout her senior year. As impressive as Brianna’s extracurricular activities are, they fail in comparison to her academics where she maintained a 3.87 G.P.A. The same passion and dedication that Brianna has displayed over the years will serve her well as a music education major at Sam Houston State University in the fall.
Nathan Troung is multi talented and will be a success at whatever he decides to do. Nathan’s diversity is evident through his participation in numerous school clubs. The Spanish National Honor Society, the National Honor Society, as well as the Science Club, where he served as the president, were all a part of Nathan’s extracurricular portfolio. Each club that Nathan participated in came with additional responsibilities, but Nathan refused to let his school work suffer. Academic achievements include, AP Scholar with Distinction, as well as mathematics achievements in algebra & geometry. Nathan will major in biochemistry at Rice University this fall.
Erica Collins is a young lady who takes pride in her many academic achievements that she accomplished while at Austin High School. Erica’s achievements are even more impressive when you take in to consideration her numerous other obligations that she had as a member of the six student body clubs that she was a member of. The commitments that Erica made to the Student Council, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and Business Marketing Club as well as the other clubs that she participated in, did not take away from her academic success. The Academic Excellence Award (2006-2009), as well as the Mathematics Achievement Award (2006) are just a few of the awards that Erica garnered while in school. Moving forward, Erica’s success will continue as she plans to major in business at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall.
James Riddle saw much success on the football, baseball & soccer field while attending Clements High School. As important as James athletic achievements are, he put in just as much time and effort into his community service and school work. Habitat for Humanity & East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry are a few of the organizations that benefited from James 130+ hours of community service. Excellence in Sports & his community did not take away from classroom endeavors, while at Clements James maintained a 4.0 G.P.A. The time management skills that James displayed in high school will serve him well as a Biology student at the University of Texas at Austin this fall.
Catherine Alia participated in volleyball and basketball while at Dulles High School. Additionally, Catherine was a member of the Sign Language Club, National Honor Society & Dulles Officers Club. The awards that Catherine gathered while in school include the Wendy’s High School Heisman, the FBISD Academic Achievement award & the District 23 Academic All District award. As Catherine transitions to college she will major in Biology at Baylor University in the fall and will continue to strive to maintain at least a 3.7 G.P.A., which is what she maintained in high school.
Andrew Suter is a graduating member of the Clements High School class of 2010. Andrew’s athletic endeavors include baseball and football, but his strong passion to be a success on the football field led him to a roster spot on Bayou Bowl 2010 Texas All Star Team. Andrew gave 100% effort on the field, as well as to his community, and it showed through his efforts with Habitat for Humanity. Over the years, Andrew served as the treasurer, building coordinator & fundraising coordinator for Habitat for Humanity. Andrew’s passion to serve will be well received when he attends Oklahoma State University this fall as a Business Administration Major.