Mountain View Kiwanis Club Honors Graduating High School Seniors

On Wednesday, the Kiwanis Club of Mountain View hosted its annual Harry Sforzini Scholarships luncheon for graduating high school seniors. They divvied $30,000 in scholarships to the college-bound crowd, or $1,500 to 20 students, at Ristorante Don Giovanni on Castro Street.

Sharon Sforzini Grant, daughter of longtime club member Harry Sforzini, granted the awards alongside Jeff Sato, Grants Committee chairman, and Nick Galiotto, club president.

“My father was a first-generation American who wanted the best not just for his children but also Mountain View,” Grant said of Sforzini, a prior president who had perfect attendance for 65 years.

The Kiwanis Club presented the scholarships to students from six schools in Mountain View and Los Altos, as well as to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The awards honor students who have produced service to the community, are pursuing careers in public service or education, demonstrate academic achievement, are enrolling in a community college, or are involved in Scouts.

Sato, also a lieutenant for the Mountain View Police Department, said it was especially difficult to chose a recipient this year, with so many worthy, financially needy students.

“A lot of the students applying had part-time jobs just to help them pay for basic needs, like a computer, or help their parents pay the bills,” he said. The club especially seeks students bound for community colleges, considered the best bargain for their money before transferring to a four-year institution, he said.

While the club typically awards $1,000 per student, they were able to provide more this year , thanks to extra-savvy investments by the financial team, said Grant.

Below are a list of recipients:

Alta Vista High School
Krystal DeCook
A’Jene Norton

Los Altos High School
Maria “Angelica” Cristancho
Fatima Esquival
Claire Evangelista
Edna Hernandez
Cindy Lopez

Mountain View Academy
Karl Orotea
Erika Torres

Mountain View High School
Adriana Aguilar
Fernanda Rodriguez
Francheska Wee

Mountain View-Los Altos Adult Education
Mario Andrade
Angelica Garcia

St. Francis High School
Rose Casarez
Denise Landreth
Andrew Nguyen

Boy Scouts
Cody Crosby, St. Francis High School

Girl Scouts
Anna Morrow, Mountain View High School
Jennifer Cooper, Los Altos High School