The Atherton Police Activities League (PAL) is pleased to announce and congratulate 5 high school seniors who have each received $5,000 for college in the Fall of 2024.
Applicants are evaluated on the strength of athletics, leadership, community involvement, neatness of application, financial need, letter or recommendation. and strength of the personal statement. Students must be enrolled in an Atherton high school but do not need to be an Atherton resident.
All donations to PAL are from Atherton residents who donate during the holiday season. PAL is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible. To date, we have given out $325,000 in scholarships over the years thanks to the generosity of our donors.
Below is the list of recipients along with a summary of their accomplishments.
Arthi Abhyanker attended Menlo School with a grade point average of 3.72. She was a starter on the Varsity Basketball Team – CCS 3-time champion. She also played Varsity Golf and junior varsity lacrosse in addition to being the President of the Entrepreneurship and of the Garden Club. In her spare time, she has been working on a start-up making tactical vests for police officers that uses computer vision to keep them safer.
She plans to attend UC Davis to study business or law and continue to build a company/startup focused on criminal justice or law enforcement or sustainable engineering. In the statement written by one of the counselors:
“Arthi is a supremely confident young woman who understands her power and her growth as reflection of the journey she’s been on to actively embrace self-confidence and her belief in herself. From everything she is a part of, Arthi is confident in her reason to be there. This kind of emotional intelligence coupled with her grit and determination leave me with no doubt that Arthi will be making a continued impact on future generations of young leaders.”
Omar Bazan attended Sacred Heart School with a grade point average of 3.67. For 3 years he was involved in cross country, soccer and track and field. He also led a program called OMCS (Office of Mission, Culture and Strategy) to support 9th graders, primarily students of color as they navigate through high school in a predominantly white school environment.
He plans to attend UC Davis and aspires to major in Computer Science where he hopes to provide students with access to applications he creates to facilitate learning.
In his personal essay he wrote:
“The journey through high school can be daunting, especially for students like me, a Latino from limited economic means. Yet thanks to the Sophie’s Scholars program at Sacred Heart, my educational path became navigable. This initiative provided crucial resources such as laptops and book funds, empowering me to feel equipped for success and integrated within the school community. My experiences have not only shaped my academic journey but also inspired me to empower others. I aim to leverage the opportunities afforded to me, utilizing the knowledge and time I’ve been granted, to support and guide those who will follow in my footsteps.”
Ava Johnson attended Menlo-Atherton High School with a grade point average of 4.302. She also attended Canada’s Middle College, a cooperative program between Canada Community College and the Sequoia Union High School District. Students apply and are selected to be in Middle College for their junior and senior years of high school and must be enrolled in 7-14 units of college classes. She also played on the junior varsity tennis team, volunteered at numerous non-profits, sang in the girls’ choir, and was a senator at large while attending Canada College.
She plans to attend either UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz or San Diego State University to study international relations where she dreams of working for a service-based human rights organization that addresses issues around the world such as Amnesty International or UN Watch.
In her statement she wrote:
“As a Bay Area native, speaking Spanish has helped me build stronger connections with people and cultures in my community. I learned the language in my elementary school’s Spanish Immersion program; it has proved invaluable. Because of my bilingual abilities, I’ve been presented with life-changing opportunities, including a scholarship to study abroad in Spain with American Field Service and a Boys and Girls Club internship in Eat Palo Alto tutoring young Spanish-speaking students in reading. These experiences have shaped my identity and fostered my interest in international affairs.”
Cameron Leung attended Menlo-Atherton High School with a grade point average of 4.463. His athletic career started with AYSO soccer and transitioned to club soccer at age 8. He also swam for the Menlo Mavericks and fenced at Stanford competing locally and at the USA nationals through age 14. While at M-A he played 4 years of varsity soccer, and his last year started to play Varsity lacrosse as well.
As one of four CORE members of Safespace, a youth-let mental health organization dedicated to spreading mental health awareness, he led 60+ peers in creating initiatives to de-stigmatize youth mental health challenges. During the summers of 2021 and 2022, he volunteered at the Riekes Community Center teaching physical education classes to kids, cleaning equipment and cooking for the staff.
He plans to attend UCSB to pursue a career in research and psychology.
In his personal statement he wrote:
“ Raised in a tight-knit family that embraces all opinions, I’ve grown comfortable partaking in difficult discussions. Even when opinions differ, I’ve witnessed that thoughtful and caring individuals can have respectful dialogue and work together to make a difference.”
Dorothy Zhang attended Menlo School with a grade point average of 4.18. She played competitive soccer for 10 years to include Varsity Co-Captain for grades 11-12. Just to name a few of her leadership experiences, Dorothy was the Smashhigh Executive Director that launched a campaign to connect 1000+ tutees for high school tutors and worked on the Menlo Robotics Team. Founder of MWEST- she organized STEM workshops to inspire female underclassmen. Honors received included: Anna Eshoo Congressional Award; Presidential Gold Service Award; John Locke Oxford Philosophy Essay Shortlister; WBAL Soccer First Team Coach’s Award, VEX Robotics State Qualified award.
She plans to attend Northwestern University in Illinois to study engineering in hopes to build a more sustainable world.
In her personal statement she wrote:
“After volunteering at an elementary school just a few blocks down from mine, I witnessed how pressing the disparity in education quality and resulting racial gap in STEM fields was. Seeing this, I was compelled to lead the Menlo Chapter of a non-profit, Curieus, dedicated to exposing under-resourced students to STEM. Through weekly lessons at PAL Center and Boys & Girls Club, I was able to inspire more future scientists in my community and rally other high schoolers to increase the number of lessons taught and students reached.”
We are very proud of the 5 young adults who received the PAL scholarships and wish each of them success in their bright futures.
For more information on our PAL Scholarships, please contact Jennifer Frew, Atherton Police Dept. PAL Coordinator via email to jfrew@ci.atherton.ca.us