Realtors Charitable Foundation Donates Thousands in College Scholarships in Virtual Presentation

On Friday, May 15, the Pasadena-Foothills Association of REALTORS® Charitable Foundation hosted its first-ever virtual scholarship presentation.

This year’s event involved school faculty, family, friends, PFAR leadership and the recipients in a live virtual format.

The committee faced a competitive pool, awarding ten (10) scholarships to academically deserving high school students in Pasadena and surrounding areas.

“For our scholarship committee it was a challenging task, and inspirational event, to read essays from an abundant group of motivated and productive students from the ten public schools in PFAR’s territory,” said Ruth McNevin, Scholarship Chair. “Our communities should be very proud of the extraordinarily talented pool of applicants who have achieved great recognition and gained admission to some of our Country’s top colleges and universities.”

Scholarship recipients included South Pasadena’s Charles Liu, whose passion for STEM inspired him to pursue a career dedicated to curing Alzheimer’s and Jeremy (Jae Hun) Hwang, whom service is second nature. Hwang’s missionary background recently lead to a service trip to Bulgaria.

As one of seven siblings, recipient Saudia Usher (John Muir) successfully sustained her academic career, while juggling a part time job; and Wook Kim (San Marino), a tech enthusiast harnessed his craft to shepherd a math competition club.

Scholarships were also presented to Abdiel Mendez (Clark Magnet), Anna Griffin (Blair), Isabella Portantino (La Cañada), Malia Teran (Pasadena), Preston Kealing (Marshall) and William Graham (San Marino).

Scholarship selection was based on school location, academic achievement, and community involvement.

The Scholarship board is composed of Foundation Directors: Sid Karsh, Deno Kidde, Terry Shelton, Kal Antoun, Lin Vlacich and Scholarship Chair, Ruth McNevin.

“PFAR’s Charitable Foundation works diligently throughout the year to earn funds to give back to the community and to foster the education of these talented scholars,” said McNevin.

To learn more about PFAR service and contribution opportunities visit pfar.org.

Pasadena-Foothills Association of REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Mission

PFAR Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support local charities actively involved in the community through financial donations with a special emphasis on charities that have low administrative overhead, with a focus on disadvantaged and needy populations. The goal is to foster tomorrow’s leaders by providing scholarships to graduating public high school students and to promote public awareness of the positive impact that REALTORS® make within the community.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @PFAR_Alerts