Scholarship Recipients 2013

The Kathleen A. Smith Memorial Scholarship:

  • Aye Thwin (SKY) came from Burma at the age of 16.  Her major was biochemistry in which she received an AA. She participated in many campus activities, and also tutored in chemistry, calculus III, and general physics.  She has applied to four UC schools, and her ultimate goal is to become a physician.

Ethel Gayman Endowment Scholarships:

  • Marissa Buell (CAN) – Growing up in SoCal, her family lived “off the grid.”  She is especially interested in the conversion of energy as well as astrophysics.  On campus she was member of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).    Her goal is to be a mechanical engineer.
  • Gabriel Denham (CSM) returned to school in his late 20’s.  Besides maintaining a 4.0 GPA, he was very active in campus activities and tutored in math and science.  Last summer he completed an internship in the Physics Dept. at UCB on a project related to condensed matter.   His goal is to complete a doctoral program in physics.
  • Leon Gutierrez (SKY) and his family came to the US from Mexico when he was in high school.  It was there that he participated in Math Olympics.  As a result, he majored in math at SKY.   His campus activities included SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) and PTK Honor Society.  His goal is a degree in math from UC Berkeley.
  • San Htun (CSM) is an ethnic Chinese from Burma.  Prior to coming to the US, she studied computer science in Singapore and worked there as a project leader at Alexandra Hospital.  Her goal is to complete a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and then continue to medical school.
  • Mandira Shrestha (CSM) was born in Nepal, where she studied engineering for two years before coming to the US with her parents and siblings two years ago.  At CSM, she was a math tutor and maintained a 4.0 GPA.  She hopes to attend UCB and major in electrical engineering and technology.
  • Thoe Sin (SKY) came from Burma in 2009. She attended high school for two years before entering SKY.  She has earned a 4.0 GPA and an AA in chemistry-physics, and she plans to continue with this major at one of the Universities of California.