Three Scottsdale Unified School District seniors were selected as community scholars and will each receive a $2,500 scholarship. They are Saumya Gupta from Desert Mountain High School, Jonathan Hernandez from Arcadia High School and Dominic Bergs from Saguaro High School.

 

The scholarships were made possible through funding by corporate sponsors who support La Gran Fiesta and the annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration in partnership with Community Celebrating Diversity and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

 

The selection criteria and procedures of the program were designed to ensure that all eligible students receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation or economic background. Criteria included that the students must be full-time residents of Arizona, be citizens of the United States or provide evidence of being permanent residents, have a minimum GPA of 2.8 and rank in the top 25 percent of their senior class. The scholars were selected based on a combination of criteria, including financial need, community service, academic performance, leadership and a required essay.