02-03-2012

Sixty-Two Diverse Student Leaders Earn Full Act Six Scholarships To Eight Northwest Colleges

On the same day that student-athletes across the country made headlines by signing letters of intent to secure college athletic scholarships, 62 students in five cities across the Northwest quietly gathered with their families to sign commitments for full scholarships of their own.  Selected through a rigorous three-month competition from among nearly 1,000 applicants, these diverse student leaders were chosen, not for their athletic prowess, but for their distinctive leadership, academic potential, and commitment to making a difference in their communities.

The Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative announced today that 61 emerging urban and community leaders across the Puget Sound region, Portland, Spokane and the Yakima Valley will receive full-tuition, full-need scholarships to George Fox University, Gonzaga University, Heritage University, Northwest University, Pacific Lutheran University, Trinity Lutheran College, Warner Pacific College, and Whitworth University.  Collectively, the awards will provide more than $8 million in financial aid over four years.

The newest Act Six scholars will be recognized in community celebrations in Portland on Monday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Life Change Christian Center; in Toppenish on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at Heritage University; in Spokane on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at The Lincoln Center; and in Seattle on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at Cleveland High School. The media and public are invited. 

Launched in 2002 by the Northwest Leadership Foundation (NLF) in Tacoma, Act Six seeks to develop urban and community leaders to be agents of transformation on campus and in their home communities. Since the program’s inception, 37 cohorts of ethnically diverse and mostly first-generation, low-income Act Six scholars from urban Tacoma, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and the Yakima Valley have enrolled at eight Northwest colleges and universities.

Act Six develops leaders through a simple, but powerful, four-step strategy:

• Recruit and select diverse, multicultural cadres of Washington’s most promising emerging urban and community leaders.
• Train and prepare these groups of students in the year prior to college, equipping them to support each other, succeed academically, and grow as service-minded leaders and agents of transformation.
• Send and fund the teams together to select private, liberal arts colleges in the Northwest on four year, full-tuition, full-need scholarships.
• Support and inspire by providing strong campus support and ongoing leadership development to nurture these young people as they find their vocation and grow into the next generation of community leaders.

To date, 90 percent of the 256 scholars who have started college have graduated or are still enrolled – reflecting graduation and retention rates that far exceed national averages. Two Act Six scholars have been elected as student-body presidents and scholars have been involved in numerous other leadership roles on campus and in the community.  Nearly 85 percent of Act Six alumni have returned to work and serve in their home communities, and 22 percent are pursuing or have earned graduate degrees.

"Act Six is a blessing. Not only do I have the opportunity to pursue a degree in higher education, but now I have the support and the resources to make my dreams come true,” says Michaela Brown, a freshmen scholar with the second cadre of Act Six at Gonzaga University.  “Act Six is so much greater than me, that at times it’s hard to wrap my head around the vision, but all I know is that Act Six has changed my life and I can’t wait to start giving back by living the mission."

Tim Herron, founder and national director of Act Six adds, “Our scholars are having a profound impact through their leadership on campus, and as they graduate we are seeing their impact back in their neighborhoods and around the nation.  We are convinced that Act Six scholars will play an important role in shaping the future of our communities.”

Following is a list of this year’s Act Six recipients:

Whitworth University (Cadre Ten)
Shanice Applewhaite, North Central High School
Cody Fox, Gonzaga Preparatory School
Cinthia Illan-Vazquez, Clover Park High School
Prakash Kafle, John R. Rogers High School
Wilo Muyoma, Franklin High School
Jessica Nguyen, Seattle Urban Academy
Elizabeth Porter, Bellarmine Preparatory School
Jeannette Potter, John R. Rogers High School
Lesly Sub Cuc, Joel E. Ferris High School

George Fox University (Cadre Six)
Joshua Cha, Benson Polytech High School
Janet Dan, Parkrose High School
Oscar Gomez, Newberg Senior High School
Asia Mayo, Roosevelt High School
Austin O'Neal, David Douglas High School
Jessica Rivera, David Douglas High School
Nancy Vazquez, Forest Grove High School

Pacific Lutheran University (Cadre Five)
Jonathan Adams, Mount Tahoma High School
Janet Dela Cruz, Lincoln High School
Kahmina Ford, Tacoma School of the Arts
Natasha Laitila, Henry Foss High School
Amina Mussa, Shorecrest High School
Spencer Togia, Washington High School
Miranda Winter, Mount Rainier High School

Northwest University (Cadre Four)
Rebecca Covarrubia, Foster High School
Xavien Davis, Curtis Senior High School
Stephen Garcia, Tacoma School of the Arts
Cambria Harris, Tacoma School of the Arts
Arami Kidane, Kentwood Senior High School
Shy Levitt, Harry S. Truman High School
Nikita Zhukovskiy, Life Christian Academy

Gonzaga University (Cadre Four)
Vanessa Delatorre, Federal Way Senior High School
Yusra Hamidani, Todd Beamer High School
Josiah Lara, Freeman High School
Michial Lim, Mount Tahoma High School
Rahmi Nemri, Central Valley High School
Alexis Nicholson, Medical Lake High School
Andrea Nolan, Northwest Christian High School

Trinity Lutheran College (Cadre Three)
Najma Ali, Kent-Meridian High School
Bello Dondja, Foster High School
Tolby Nordenstrom, Clover Park High School
Misael Salmeron, Highline High School
Ali Shams, Washington High School

Warner Pacific College (Cadre Three)
Reggie Chipen, Madison High School
Arianna Cruz-Sellu, De La Salle North Catholic High School
Alejandra Garcia, Sam Barlow High School
Thalia Garcia Aguilar, Century High School
Robel Haile, Jefferson High School
Milo Lopez, Forest Grove High School
Justine Moore, Roosevelt High School
Jessie Osuna-Mondragon, De La Salle North Catholic High School
Ricardo Ruiz, Reynolds High School
Jordan Shellmire, U.S. Grant High School

Heritage University (Cadre Two)
Carolina Baca, Stanton Academy
Luis Cordero, Dwight D. Eisenhower High School
Isabel Cueva, Toppenish High School
Alex Diaz, A.C. Davis Senior High School
Jose Esquivel, East Valley High School
Theolinda Gleason, Yakama Nation Tribal School
Marcus Morales, Grandview High School
Javier Morin Jr., West Valley High School
Juan Valencia, Prosser Senior High School
Shannon Youngbear, Northern Cheyenne Tribal School

Following next week’s celebrations, scholars begin an intensive seven-month training program that involves weekly meetings with Act Six staff, retreats and campus visits. 

Learn more about Act Six online at www.actsix.org.

Contacts:

Tim Herron, Act Six founder and director, Northwest Leadership Foundation, (253) 272-0771 ext.109 or therron@northwestleadership.org

Crystal Ben, Act Six Tacoma Seattle site director, Northwest Leadership Foundation, (253) 272-0771 ext.111 or cben@northwestleadership.org

Pamela Ryan, Act Six Portland site director, Portland Leadership Foundation, (503) 869-4714 or pamela.ryan@portlandleadership.org

Oscar Harris, Act Six Spokane site director, Ready 2 Serve Ministries, (509) 230-3686 or oscar.harris@actsix.org

Delinda Higgins, Act Six Yakima Valley co-director, Yakima Leadership Foundation, (509) 949-6884 or delinda.higgins@actsix.org

Lawrence Burnley, assistant vice president for intercultural affairs, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4215 or lburnley@whitworth.edu

Joel Perez, dean of transitions and inclusion, George Fox University, (503) 554-2305 or jperez@georgefox.edu

Karl Stumo, vice president for admission and enrollment services, Pacific Lutheran University, (253) 535-7158 or stumo@plu.edu

Rose Smith, assistant vice president for enrollment, Northwest University,
(425) 889-5598 or rose.smith@northwestu.edu

Tracy Ellis-Ward, director of Unity Multicultural Education Center, Gonzaga University, (509) 313-4108 or ellis-ward@gonzaga.edu

Mia Kosinski, admissions counselor, Trinity Lutheran College, (425) 249-4741 or mia.kosinski@tlc.edu

Shannon Mackey, executive director of enrollment, Warner Pacific College, (503) 517-1024 or smackey@warnerpacific.edu

Miguel Puente, director of admissions, Heritage University, (509) 865-8697 or puente_m@heritage.edu