July 13, 2020
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Charity Golf Tournament to benefit Highline Public Schools was supposed to celebrate its 20th anniversary this July. Proceeds from this popular event, planned by volunteer employees from the Port of Seattle, HMS Host, and the Hudson group, allow the Highline Schools Foundation to provide programs and substantial college scholarships to bright, capable, and hard-working students who would never be able to attend college without financial help.
But when COVID-19 forced organizers to cancel, the tournament’s committee still found ways to support local students. In addition to providing funding to assist local Highline families with purchasing groceries, four scholarships were awarded to students pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The 2020 recipients are: Anwar Beshir, Tyee High School; John Marquez, New Start High School; Minh-Ngoc Pham, Mount Rainier High School; and Eyoeil Fentie, Evergreen High School.
Here are the stories of this year’s scholarship recipients.
John Marquez, New Start High School
Seattle Tacoma International Airport (STIA) Scholarship, $10,000
John Marquez didn’t have an easy time in high school, but the support of his family and a fresh start in a new school helped him get on track.
“Growing up in a low-income working-class family was just my normal. I didn’t have much but I did have my family. When you are brought up in a place of adversity, it can get the best of you. It’s like having a big shadow that is always following you,” Marquez said.
Marquez realized that if he was going to make it, he needed to make some changes. With the support from people who cared about him, Marquez enrolled at New Start High School in Burien. New Start has a mission to provide a personalized environment that focuses on surrounding every student with caring adult staff, local service agencies, and community support.
The move to a new school was a turning point in his high school career. He joined his school’s leadership team, focused on academics, and made the Honor Roll with a 4.0 GPA. Marquez also started tutoring at Southwest Youth and Family Services and working in the school’s community garden.
The support from others has made a huge difference in his life, so as he thinks about his future, Marquez wants to focus on supporting others. Marquez plans to attend Highline College and study Human Services and Chemical Dependency.
“This scholarship is going to help me tremendously by paying my tuition and allowing me to continue my education. I am the first person in my family to graduate and attend college, and I am really proud of that.”
Minh-Ngoc Pham, Mount Rainier High School
Seattle Tacoma International Airport (STIA) Scholarship, $10,000
Minh-Ngoc Pham grew up in a rural village in Vietnam that lacked many of the necessities that people often rely on.
“Food was so scarce that on countless nights, my family had to go to bed hungry,” she said.
This memory has stayed with her over the years, and she hopes to use her college education to do something to help.
Pham plans to attend Seattle Central College to complete prerequisites before transferring to the University of Washington to study electrical engineering. With the education she receives, Pham hopes to return to Vietnam to improve the infrastructure of her village, as well as other regions around the world without electricity.
“I plan to use my knowledge to help fix the electrical wiring and components to make electricity a more dependable source of energy for people.”
She feels more confident after receiving the scholarship because it shows that people believe in her. It also gives her the strength to face future challenges.
“Your support is like a ladder. Step by step I will reach my goals. I will try my best in college to make you proud of me.”
Anwar Bashir, Tyee High School
Seattle Tacoma International Airport (STIA) Scholarship, $10,000
At 17, Anwar Bashir immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia without his parents. Since then, in addition to attending Tyee High School’s Newcomer English Language Learning program full time, Bashir has worked to support himself and his family in Ethiopia. He works 20 to 40 hours a week and pays his own rent, car insurance, and phone bill, and buys his own food and groceries.
“This is an incredible undertaking, and during this time, Anwar has been able to maintain good grades,” wrote Bashir’s school counselor Jenn Truong in a letter of recommendation. “He has not complained once about his responsibilities and frequently talks about how he will do whatever he needs to go to graduate and focus on his education.”
Bashir said that he knows how important education is for a better life and plans to attend Highline College in the fall.
“I know that it will provide me an opportunity to better support myself and my family,” he said. “I plan to study sociology in college to make positive changes for the next generation.”
Truong wrote that Bashir is “a motivated, persevering, hardworking individual with a focus and determination to do what it takes to improve his circumstances including attending college. His perseverance is relentless, and his drive to achieve will make him a wonderful scholar at the post-secondary level.”
Eyoeil Fentie, Evergreen High School
Seattle Tacoma International Airport (STIA) Scholarship, $20,000
Growing up in Ethiopia, Eyoeil Fentie spent a lot of time at his mother’s health clinic interacting with doctors, nurses, and patients. He loved that a doctor could make a patient feel better by prescribing medication, giving advice, or just listening.
This experience drew him to the medical field when selecting a future career path. As he prepares for this future, Fentie is headed to the University of Washington in the fall where he plans to major in physiology and minor in public health.
He has a strong commitment to community service, leadership, and involvement in extracurricular activities, and takes his education seriously.
With this financial assistance, Fentie can immerse himself in the college experience without having to place a burden on his parents to fund his education.
