Scholars in the News
Reshma Tharani, 21, is part of a new breed of community college student
Scholar Performance
Tessa was featured with her chamber group on the national radio program 'From the Top'.
Corinna Bockstruck
“(Traveling abroad) made me realize that to actually have an impact, I would need more than passion. That’s when I started thinking about college as the means by which I was going to meet my goals, not the endpoint.”
- Program: 2008 College Scholarship Recipient
- Resides: Santa Barbara, CA
- Hometown: Spokane, WA
- Age: 18
- Four-year College or University: Westmont College
- Academic/Career Pursuits: International NGO/Relations, International Studies
- Other Interests: Church / Religious Organization, Foreign Languages / International Study, Literature, Nonprofits, Outdoor / Mountaineering / Camping, Volunteer Work, Writing / Journalism
Biography
HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUNG SCHOLAR EXPERIENCE: Corinna took an immersion Spanish course in Spain, a politics and urban poverty class in Washington, DC, and a terrorism and war class in San Diego. On the lighter side, she has also spent her summers taking mystery theater, culinary arts, and essay writing classes, including study of pop culture and “how to write funny.”
PROFILE: Corinna found her calling on church group missions to help the poor in Mexico and inner-city Los Angeles. In Tijuana, she and a group of volunteers helped to build a house for an impoverished family. She soon realized that this six-day project was just a first step to improving the family’s situation. To effect a real transformation in their lives and the lives of others would require a long term commitment to justice and changing the systems that trap children in a vicious cycle of poverty. “Instead of working hard in school and committing myself to extracurricular activities to merely be accepted to a prestigious university, I now devote time to my studies knowing that getting good grades puts me one step closer to my ultimate goal of impacting the world.”
INSPIRATION: Corinna finds inspiration in her track and cross-country coach, “an amazing role model” who “makes a difference in the lives of each and every one of the kids she coaches.” Corinna aims to be as kind, compassionate, strong, and vibrant as her coach.
ASPIRATION: After her experiences in Los Angeles and Mexico, Corinna decided to become a human rights worker.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: As her trips to help the inner-city poor in Los Angeles and a needy family in Tijuana attest, Corinna is committed to helping others.
ACCOLADES: Corinna, a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, is on her high school honor roll.
INTERESTING FACT: Corinna’s favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn, a star as admired for her humanitarianism as for her film career.
Other Scholars Like Corinna
Sara Sorrell
Graduate Scholar
Indiana University School of Medicine / University of Cambridge
Modupe Adepoju
College Scholar
Duke University
Kenneth Brewer
College Scholar
Harvard University
Candace Payne
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
The George Washington University