Last class of San Bruno Crestmoor scholars selected

At its meeting May 7, the SBCF Board of Directors unanimously voted to move forward with spending the majority of its remaining $15 million to $20 million endowment on a large-scale legacy project, a restoration of San Bruno Fire Station No 52.

That recommendation, which was controversial among community members who would have liked to see the program continue, means that all scholarship and community grant programs end this year.

The students who have benefited from the Crestmoor Neighborhood Memorial Scholarship represent an enduring legacy for the foundation and represent the resilience of the San Bruno community, Executive Director Leslie Hatamiya said.

“We’ve awarded over 100 scholarships over the past 10 years,” she said. “These are impressive young people. Many of them have graduated from college, gone either to graduate school or into their careers. They are continuing to give back. They are truly a legacy of the foundation and the restitution funds.”

The 11 scholars picked for this year’s scholarship program were selected based on several criteria, including their involvement in the San Bruno community, extracurriculars, academic records as well as financial status.

“Every year, the Crestmoor scholars are an amazing, impressive group of students who’ve really shined, both in terms of contribution to the community, as well as their academics and the leadership at high school and community college and in the broader community,” Hatamiya said. “This year’s class is no exception.”

The scholarship has three tiers — $20,000 for high school seniors going to four-year colleges over four years, $5,000 for high school seniors going to community college over two years and $10,000 for transfer students moving on to four-year colleges after two years.

The intention of the scholarship program, which has distributed $1.52 million to students over a period of nearly 10 years, has always been to honor the resiliency and leadership the community displayed after the gas pipeline explosion.

“We’re looking for kids who are dedicated to San Bruno,” Hatamiya said. “Also, their leadership collaboration and teamwork, which were traits we found in abundance in the aftermath of the gas pipeline explosion.”

Although this is the last new class of scholarship students, funding for them and others currently selected for the program will continue throughout their college education for up to four years.