2024 RAGE Scholarship Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement and Service to the Community
Each year, Pleasanton RAGE Girls Soccer Club recognizes and rewards scholar athletes who demonstrate RAGE excellence in academic achievement and service to the community. At least two $2,000.00 scholarships for college are awarded to high school seniors who plan to attend a 4-year or 2-year college or a vocational or art school and have a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher. Applicants are considered based on the following criteria: academic achievement, commitment to volunteerism/service, and number of years playing for RAGE. In addition, an essay is submitted defining one of the RAGE core values (Respect, Attitude, Greatness, Expectations) and explaining how the value is learned while playing soccer and serving the community.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
Lena Garuda
Lena has played soccer for Pleasanton RAGE for 12 years, most currently as a member of the Recreational Program on the U19 team.
A senior at Foothill High School, Lena has a GPA of 4.36 and will attend Northwestern University in the Fall where she plans on majoring in Biological Sciences.
To date, Lena’s academic honors and accomplishments include National Merit Commended Student; AP Scholar; Member: National Honor Society & Young Poets Society; Completion of the series of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences Pathway coursework; Team Captain, Pleasanton RAGE.
Rounding out Lena’s excellence in academics and honors is her community volunteerism, specifically her service to the following: Hively, a nonprofit organization for which she founded The Write Stuff, a program teaching writing skills to over 100 young students in underserved communities in the Bay Area; Science for Youth, teaching science to elementary school students and hosting Science Olympiads; Kids Against Hunger, as a volunteer packing food for communities in need, both locally and overseas; National Honors Society, volunteering 30+ hours/year at events & drives; Special Olympics.
Lena chose the RAGE core value “Greatness” for her essay topic. She says that she has “been playing soccer longer than any extracurricular activity…, and it has been foundational in developing my perspective, my work ethic, and my motivation to succeed…. RAGE has instilled in me an unrelenting pursuit of greatness that will prove invaluable in my future endeavors, both in college and beyond.”
Kathryn Go
Kathryn has played soccer for Pleasanton RAGE for 7 years, most currently as a member of the Competitive Program on the 2006 Orange team.
A senior at Amador Valley High School, Kathryn has a 4.47 GPA and will attend UCLA in the Fall where she plans on majoring in Biochemistry.
To date, Kathryn’s academic honors and accomplishments include National Merit Finalist; AP Scholar with Distinction; President’s Volunteer Service Gold & Silver Awards; Flute & Piccolo Player: Multiple awards, including 1st place at the 2022 International American Protégé Woodwinds/Brass Competition at Carnegie Hall; Member & Principal Flutist, Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra; CA All-State Honors Concert Band & Northern CA Honors Band; Captain, Science Olympiad Chemistry and multiple award winner at events both regionally and nationwide.
Equally important and inspiring is Kathryn’s list of community service, specifically her involvement in the following fields of Healthcare and Education/Mentorship: Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley as a Patient Ambassador addressing concerns and supporting the needs of patients and visitors; Sunflower Dental as a “shadow” serving as a translator for Chinese and Spanish speaking patients, and learning the basics of dental procedures and care; Amador Valley Mentors, as Co-President, hosting monthly workshops for Freshmen transitioning into high school; Amador Valley LINK Program, Crew Leader; PUSD, as an after-school Peer Tutor at AVHS, and Pleasanton PTA Community Volunteer Hub tutoring English-language learners during Covid, for which she was honored as a Hub Hero, twice; CA STEMettes, cohort leader.
Kathryn chose the RAGE core value “Greatness” for her essay topic. She says that, “every game is a performance that adds to who I am and who I can be, that pushes my boundaries out of the comfort zone, that requires intense preparation yet will never be flawless. Perfection was never my goal, but rather the effort, the practice, and the persistence put forth upon pursuing such “greatness.”
