Motivational & Inspiring Charity Foundation Evening

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By Vanshika Vipin Varma

SUGAR LAND: The Indo American Charity Foundation (IACF) 2017 Scholarship Awards Reception event was held on Tuesday, May 30, at the FBISD Administration Building in Sugar Land. 26 well deserving and outstanding high school students from Fort Bend ISD, Alief ISD and Stafford Municipal School District were awarded scholarships based on their grade point average (GPA), SAT/ACT scores, personal essays, recommendations and after carefully assessing their needs. The IACF board presented scholarships ranging from $500 to $2500 and totaling to $36,000, along with the prestigious David Raj Scholarship that is bestowed each year to a student pursuing a career in medicine.

The event that lasted for around 2 hours began at 6:00 pm, and like each year it witnessed a gathering of over a hundred, that included excited parents, teachers, administrators and dignitaries. The ceremony began with a quick networking session where delicious appetizers were served. The emcee’s for the evening were Saiesh Kalva and Jhanvi Jain, who were at their charming best. Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala, committee member and former president of IACF welcomed everyone. He acknowledged all the past and present committee and board members, and thanked them and everyone else for their dedication and hard work. He informed everyone that IACF has been working with the Fort Bend ISD and Alief ISD for the past four years, and was happy to announce the addition of Stafford Municipal school district (SMSD) to this year’s list. Dr. Vanitha Pothuri, IACF president, followed his note with a presentation. She helped fill the gap for those who were not aware of IACFs background, and also informed the audience about the two big upcoming events- The IACF Grants Awards Night that will be held on June 29, where they will be funding almost 25 organizations, and the IACF Gala themed, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars”, to be held the October 7.

Prominent Houstonians that included the past presidents of IACF, heads of IACF’s partnering organizations, supporters and donors, then presented the scholarship certificates to each student. The motivational and inspiring evening saw quite a few dignitaries in attendance and some of them shared some encouraging notes that will incite these kids to do even better. The notable dignitaries and VIP’s included City of Sugar Land Councilman (At Large) Himesh Gandhi, Councilman Harish Jajoo, Fort Bend County District Attorney John F. Healey, Jr., Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy E. Nehls, Council Member Stafford Ken Mathew, Fort Bend ISD Trustee KP George, SMSD Trustee Xavier Herrera, Maria Raspberry (Deputy Superintendent, SMSD), Dr. Terry Sheneman (Director FBISD, Career and College Readiness Program), Dr. Crystal Collins (Alief ISD, Coordinator of Counseling). Towards the end of the event, these dignitaries helped Dr. Ramesh and Dr. Vanitha to present the ceremonial check to all the students. This was followed with a vote of thanks by committee chair Venkat Iyer.

The IACF Scholarship committee had concluded on the list of deserving students for this scholarship after a comprehensive process. This committee was led by committee chair Venkat Iyer and team members Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala, Joseph Ellankil, Alpa Shah, Dr. Ratna Kumar, Mahesh Wadwa, Dr. Purvi, Nanda Vura, Prem Cholia and assisted by Subha Iyer. This diverse and strategically assembled committee underwent an extensive selection process to review individual applications and hand pick the most deserving ones, from a long list of brilliant students, that seem to be growing each year in numbers. Through scholarships, the IACF supports dedicated, hardworking and immensely talented students who aspire to become health care professionals, entrepreneurs or engineers. The IACF hopes to make a difference in the future of these bright students. This event demonstrates in the true sense the spirit of IACF’s mission, “We live here We give here”.

For more information on IACF visit www.iacfhouston.com

2017 IACF Scholarship Recipients
Maite Ramos, FBISD
Sharde Shorter, FBISD
Miguel Robles, FBISD
Jessica Garcia, FBISD
Ava Mclauglin, FBISD
Stassney Brown, FBISD
Pauline Umyhoza, AISD
Chioma Duru, AISD
Emily Dycha, FBISD
Meyer Wilson Doe, FBISD
Faith Johnson, FBISD
Isabella Gallegos, FBISD
Z’Nae Magnum, FBISD
Deja Gardiner, SMSD
Leonardo Flores, AISD
Nikita Bhagat, FBISD
Amina Mabizari, AISD
Minnu Augustine, FBISD
Veronica Lopez, FBISD
Saraiah Walker, FBISD
Saul Flores, AISD
Debbie Tran, FBISD
Jannelly Areche, AISD
Christina Osuagwu, AISD
Yazan Abuashour, AISD
Helena Sutton, FBISD