Gold River teen wins new Ronald Reagan scholarship Learning Process

Gold River teen wins new Ronald Reagan scholarship

Written on July 21, 2011 – 1:59 am | by Justin Fraser

Last year, Blake Delaplane’s interest in public service and politics led to a Congressional Award gold medal. He was one of just 252 young people nationwide to receive one.

This week, the Granite Bay High School graduate is one of 22 university-bound students to receive a GE Ronald Reagan scholarship.

The scholarship will provide the recipients $10,000 a year for up to four years to defray the costs of attending an accredited U.S. university.

“It feels amazing surreal,” Delaplane of Gold River said of winning the scholarship. “Being one of 22 selected is astronomical; it’s an awesome feeling.”

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced the scholarship winners this week as part of a yearlong celebration of what would have been the president’s 100th birthday year.

General Electric is sponsoring the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration with a $15 million grant. A third of that money is going to the college scholarship program spanning 10 years.

Five of this year’s recipients are from California. The other four are Gabriella Momah of Chino Hills; Jordan Moore of San Diego; Nikoll Rodriguez of Santa Barbara; and David Tang Quan of Rancho Palos Verdes.

The students were selected from a pool of more than 5,300 applicants.

They were chosen for their leadership, drive, integrity and citizenship, which the foundation says are the qualities the late president possessed.

“Today’s youth are determined and inspiring leaders,” said the foundation’s Executive Director John Heubusch. “We are proud to award college scholarships to the future leaders of tomorrow.”

Delaplane says that he hopes to make a “positive impact for disadvantaged groups” by possibly studying politics at Rice University in the fall.

“Being a GE/Reagan scholar is going to help define what my motives are in living life,” he said. “It is an issue of living up to integrity as Reagan did. Reagan has been a motivating idol in my life; he is someone I have tried to emulate.”

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