FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Yakima Valley residents earn full-need scholarships to Heritage University through Act Six
Yakima, WA - Nine students from the Yakima Valley and Yakama Nation were recently chosen as the first local cadre of Act Six scholars. The nine will receive leadership training and scholarships covering 100 percent of their financial need to attend Heritage University beginning in the fall of 2011.
The Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative is a Northwest program that works with local ministries and faith and social justice-based colleges to develop young leaders to be agents of change in their home communities. The program identifies high school seniors and recent graduates of promise, provides leadership and college success training, and scholarships to the partnering college.
Yakima County's Act Six scholars are: Charlie Fiander, Wapato Senior High School; Lindsey Fulton, a Riverside Christian School graduate who is currently enrolled at Yakima Valley Community College; Daylen Isaac, a Zillah High School graduate who is currently enrolled at Yakima Valley Community College; Estefania Jiminez, A. C. Davis High School; Jayla Krause, Naches Valley High School; Karina Lara, Wapato High School; Jasper Luna, Heritage HEP; Amber Ortiz-Diaz, A.C. Davis High School; and Sandra Sanchez, Wahluke High School. The nine will be honored at a celebration at Heritage University in Smith Family Hall on Wednesday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m.
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.
"Act Six scholars are having a profound influence through their leadership on campuses across the Northwest, and as they graduate we are seeing their impact back in their neighborhoods and around the nation. We look forward to watching these promising young leaders from the Yakima Valley and Yakama Nation have the same opportunity to make a difference at Heritage and in their community," said Tom Herron, founder and national director of Act Six.
In addition to the Yakima Valley scholars, Act Six named another 59 new scholars from the Spokane and Puget Sound regions of Washington and from Portland, Oregon. These students will attend one of seven other partner universities, including Whitworth University, Pacific Lutheran University, Northwest University, Gonzaga University, Trinity Lutheran College, George Fox University, and Warner Pacific College.
Yakima Valley's Act Six partnership was spearheaded by Dave Edler, who is leading an effort to establish the Yakima Valley Leadership Foundation, a faith-based non-profit organization that seeks to encourage, strengthen and develop leadership for the spiritual and social renewal of the community. The foundation works closely with Corey Greaves of Mending Wings, a Native American youth organization, and Delinda Higgins to identify, select, and train the recipients.
Community sponsors of the Washington Act Six program include State Farm Insurance, REI and Group Health Cooperative.
For more information on Act Six, visit www.actsix.org