Girls Inc. doles out dough

Michael Miller

Alejandra Cerros, a senior at Estancia High School, wants to be a

specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. She’ll get her first dose

later this week.

“As part of my senior project, I’m going to see a baby born at

Fountain Valley Hospital,” Cerros said. “It’s my cousin’s. I’ve never

seen a live birth before.”

To help with the rest of her medical education, the Girls Inc.

National Scholar Program on Tuesday presented her with $2,500. Cerros

was one of a record five Orange County students who received

scholarships as members of Girls Inc. of Orange County.

The five winners -- Cerros, Costa Mesa High School seniors Adeline

Guyenne and Patty Luna, Valencia junior Erika Santana and Tustin

junior Levedin Castaneda -- joined a short list of 22 nationwide

recipients in 2005. Every year, Girls Inc. awards the Lucile Miller

Wright Scholarship to members in the 11th and 12th grades to help

them pay for college tuition.

“It was very satisfying to know that the girls put in this hard

work and we were able to see results like that,” said Luz

Vazquez-Ramos, who works for Girls Inc. of Orange County. “I knew

they could do it; they just needed to sit down and believe in

themselves.”

About the county’s record number of winners, Vazquez- Ramos added,

“They actually called us from the national office and asked what we

had done differently that they could pass on to others.”

Girls Inc., whose Orange County center is located in Costa Mesa,

serves girls ages 5 to 18 with courses in goal setting, budgeting,

fitness, self-defense and more. To apply for the Wright Scholarship,

girls must submit a personal essay describing their lives, high

school experiences and plans for post-high-school study.

Cerros has been accepted to Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los

Angeles and applied to a number of other campuses.

Guyenne, who describes herself as an “avid thespian” in her essay,

hopes to enroll in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to study

acting.

Luna wrote her essay about wanting to attend Cal State Fullerton

and wanting to become a teacher.

Santana, who has her sights on teaching or graphic design, plans

to apply to Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona or Loyola Marymount.

Castaneda, an aspiring law enforcement officer, wrote her essay

about the difficulty of balancing school with teen motherhood.

The Wright Scholarship essays are judged each year by a panel of

youth agency officials, who narrow the final list down to about 20

and award recipients either large scholarships for $15,000 or smaller

ones for $2,500. Guyenne, Luna and Santana received the larger amount

this year. The judges determine winners on the quality of their

essays, rather than academics or financial need.

“Once they make the GPA, they’re equal,” said Sandra Hester, the

awards and events manager for Girls Inc. “We look for a really

well-rounded young woman.”