Los Angeles (July 31, 2018) — The JVS Scholarship Program this year helped 243 college students get closer to their higher education dreams when it awarded a total of $744,650 in need-based scholarships, with gifts ranging from $750 to $10,000.
“Awarding scholarships to such accomplished students is tremendously inspiring,” said Matthew Paul, JVS Scholarship Committee Co-Chairman. “I look forward to their future success and contributions as representatives of the JVS Scholarship Program to their schools and communities.”
In preparing to make their final scholarship selections, the JVS Scholarship Committee interviewed more than 150 students in person to ask about their involvement with community service, their grades and school careers, their financial need and family histories.
Scholarship recipients are attending colleges across the country and internationally including Harvard, Stanford, Tel Aviv University, Sachler School of Medicine, USC and CSUN. Their studies range from medicine and law to education and the arts. The group includes students who have emigrated from other countries, students with learning disabilities and students who are returning to school for advanced degrees.
“By investing in these remarkable scholars, we are investing in our future,” said Alan Levey, JVS SoCal CEO. “We believe it is a shared responsibility to help these students succeed and pursue their educational dreams.”
For the fifth year in a row, thanks to a generous $110,000 gift from the William and Leah Molle Foundation and the enthusiastic support of Trustee Susan Howard, JVS once again supported ten medical school students with scholarships of $10,000 each.
Recipients attended the 46th annual Awards Reception that took place July 26 at Sinai Temple where they had the chance to personally thank the many scholarship donors in attendance. One of the highlights of the evening included a surprise marriage proposal by scholarship alumnus Ashkan Morim to scholarship alumna Morin Zaray. The couple met on stage one year ago at the 2017 Scholarship Awards Reception and immediately began a relationship that culminated in an onstage proposal at this year’s event. Morim and Zaray’s families and friends came to celebrate the couple and their special moment.
As part of the ceremony’s program, first-year scholarship recipient Kate Feld performed three operatic selections, including Sure on this Shining Night, O Mio Babbino Caro and Caro Nome. Feld is a classically trained operatic soprano who is currently enrolled as a cantorial student at the Academy of Jewish Religion.
The program was founded to address the skyrocketing cost of college tuition. About 44 million people nationwide owe more than $1.48 trillion in student debt, higher than both U.S. credit card and auto loan debt. More than 7 million student borrowers are now in default.
Since the JVS Scholarship Program began in 1972 it has awarded over $9.2 million to more than 4,900 outstanding local Jewish students. It remains the largest need-based scholarship program serving Jewish students within the Los Angeles community. To learn more, visit www.jvs-socal.org/scholarship.