Our branch established it’s unique Tribute to Excellence Award to honor one graduating Las Positas College woman annually for her achievement both in academics and in service to her community. The recipient is chosen by the Las Positas Foundation and a college committee. The applicant should have a good academic background, 90 units of college credit and plan to work toward al bachelor’s degree. The nominee shall be actively involved in community service. Currently the award is for $500.00 and is funded through our Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin branch budget.
Our 2024 Tribute to Excellence recipient is Danielle Islas. Danielle is pursuing a major in Business Administration specifically Entrepreneurship. She participated in the Las Positas President’s Scholars Program where she honed her leadership and communication skills. Under this program, she volunteered for school events such as Science on Saturday, the Literacy Arts Festival and First Generation College Day.
She is a wonderful young woman and appreciates our scholarship! Look for your chance to meet Danielle at one of our upcoming events.
Our 2023 Tribute to Excellence recipient Brooke Bistline is an accomplished woman with a unique profile for anyone her age!
To quote Brooke: “It was 2011, just a year after the devastating earthquake that tore apart the country (Haiti), crumbling homes and killing hundreds of thousands….. I stood with my shovel, looking over the newly planted orchard and vegetable garden in the center of the orphanage courtyard …..I saw the children being treated for cuts, old wounds, and skin conditions that could have so easily been prevented with basic first-aid knowledge and sanitation instruction. I saw a need, and in that moment, I saw my future.”
Brooke returned home to learn the emergency response skills she now uses as a 911 Alameda County Paramedic. She continued to feel a further call to serve, however. Brooke discovered Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit humanitarian organization that helps victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. Last year, Brooke applied for a position on a Samaritan’s Purse disaster response team. Brooke trained for deployment to Ukraine, where she helped build and run a field hospital approximately 10 miles from the active fighting. Brooke worked 14 hours daily for 6 weeks (close to 600 hours of service!) as a Paramedic. Her team treated civilian patients injured or ill due to direct effects of the war, as well as military personnel.
Inspired by the doctors and nurses she worked alongside in Ukraine, Brooke has returned to the East Bay to continue her job as a Paramedic while she works toward education completion of her Biology degree and subsequent medical school.
Recent recipients include:
2019: Alisha Shaik
Alisha with Scholarship Selection Committee Chair Susan Wacek
Alisha Shaik attended Amador High School in Pleasanton. While at Las Positas College she was the first ever Student Trustee for the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees representing Middle College. She is president of Interfaith for Youth. She will attend U C Berkeley in the fall of 2019 as a psychology major. She hopes to attend medical school one day.
2018: Roujheen Sabayen
Roujheen Sabetan graduated from Amador High School in Pleasanton in 2016 as an AP Scholar with Distinction. She received an Outstanding Student in Cell and Molecular Biology award while attending Las Positas College. She will transfer to UC Berkeley in the fall of 2019. She hopes to obtain a Masters Degree in Public Health, focusing on community- based settings where the population have been underserved.
See list of awardees since 2005.