High school seniors win $2,500 scholarships

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- Three Newport-Mesa high school students are among the

winners of the Toshiba Senior Classic scholarship.

Seniors Robert Cole, Sarah Cotton and Mayra Caldero will receive a $2,500

scholarship and a Toshiba computer. The money will go toward college

tuition, fees and books.

The scholarship is a joint effort by Toshiba American Information Systems

and Hoag Hospital, the tournament operator. The contest was open to high

school students in the Irvine and Newport-Mesa school districts. The five

winners were chosen based on academic merit, recommendations and

involvement in extracurricular activities.

“We wanted to develop an annual program that would [give] ongoing

benefits for students in our community,” said Jake Rohrer, co-chairman of

the tournament.

Each participating high school submitted a number of nominations for the

scholarship. A selection committee chose the five winners.

Cole, a Newport Harbor High School football star, is popular with both

peers and teachers. In 1999, he helped lead his team into the playoffs,

but broke his leg and was unable to play in the CIF championship game.

Harbor faculty described him as intelligent, determined and

inspirational. He is a member of the National Honor Roll Society,

Academic Honor Roll and winner of the Golden State Exam Award. Cole plans

to attend Brown University in Rhode Island and hopes to become an

orthopedic surgeon.

“I had some good competition,” Cole said. “I competed against some

friends.”

Cotton is an outgoing and friendly student at Costa Mesa High School. She

participates in many school activities, including the cross country and

track teams, high school yearbook and student government.

Teachers described her as confident and noted her problem-solving nature

-- whether it be at the blackboard in advanced calculus or organizing the

cross country team. She hopes to attend MIT to pursue a career in

mathematics and economics.

The third winner, Caldero, is a top student at Estancia High School.

Based on her long list of extracurricular activities, it’s apparent that

Caldero shares much of her time with her community. She plans to attend

the University of Northern Colorado and hopes to become an elementary

school teacher.