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Technology Packages to Former Foster Youth, Faculty at UC San Diego(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 10 -- The University of California at San Diego issued the following news release: By Jade Griffin For the second year in a row, former foster youth attending the University of California, San Diego, as well as two UC San Diego faculty members, received top-of-the-line technology packages from Sony Electronics, with the support of Intel. The gifts are designed to support the students' studies and the faculty members' teaching and research endeavors in a time when technology plays a crucial role in academic success. Five students each received a Sony VAIO notebook with an Intel Centrino 2 Processor, Webbie high-definition camera with 16-gigabyte memory card and Walkman MP3 player, which can be used to listen to electronically recorded lectures. "Technology is no longer a luxury in education, it is a necessity," said Steven Zimmer, Sony Direct's business development manager for education, who presented technology packages at last week's award ceremony. "Sony Electronics, is providing these computer equipment packages to ease the pressures on deserving college students, and to give promising faculty high-tech tools that will enhance their teaching and research." James Lee, a freshman planning to double major in biochemistry and theatre, is a former foster youth who was chosen for the award. "As a foster child, it was hard for me to attain the resources that my peers enjoyed," said Lee. "Support like this brings hope to students--hope that anything is possible as long as you believe and seek your goal." According to Lee, he wished for a laptop, but his foster parents struggled to supply Lee and his two siblings with just the essentials. Lee continued: "I always told myself when I went to college, I would apply for scholarships so that I could purchase a laptop, which I knew would be important for my college success. I'm extremely grateful and thankful to Sony for this computer scholarship package to better my success in my future endeavors." Student recipients of this year's Sony technology packages include: * Katia Anguiano Katia Anguiano is a sophomore is a double major in psychology and linguistics. She has won awards for her photography and regularly volunteers in the community. Anguiano is considering a career in speech therapy. She has been involved in concert band, and currently serves as secretary of the UC San Diego pep band. * George Diez George Diez is a transfer student majoring in literature/writing with a minor in Japanese studies. In high school, Diez served as president of the Gay-Straight Alliance. He works with Taking Action to promote underprivileged and foster minority youth and co-founded Vanguard of Eternal Revelry, a fraternal order focused on the arts. His career goal is to work in translation or international media. * Shari Farooqi Leiton Farooqi Leiton is a senior majoring in sociology and ethnic studies. She works in outreach programs at UC San Diego to help first generation students attend college. She recently received the Juvenile Justice Award from the San Diego County Juvenile Justice Commission for her dedication to the community. Leiton plans to pursue a career in law. * James Lee James Lee, a freshman has been a youth tutor for four years, and a volunteer at the Continentals of Omega Boys and Girls Club. He participated UC San Diego's Summer Bridge Program and was selected by his peers for the Inspiration Award. Upon graduation, Lee plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in child psychiatry. * Shunya Wade Shunya Wade is a literature/English major. At UC San Diego, she has become an active member of Native American Student Alliance. She serves as an Associated Students senator and board member of the Art Collective. Wade plans to attend law school and someday become the first Native American/Black female President of the United States. In addition, two tenured junior faculty members will each receive a Sony VAIO notebook, Sony HD Camcorder with 16-gigabyte Memory Stick, Sony Reader and 26-inch display BRAVIA television. This year's faculty award recipients include: * Michael Trigilio Trigilio is a multimedia artist and professor of media arts at UC San Diego. His work has been presented at the Anthology Film Archives in New York, Southern Exposure Gallery in San Francisco and Musee d'Art Moderne et Contemporain in Strasbourg. Trigilio is a founding member of the independent radio project Neighborhood Public Radio which was included in the 2008 Whitney Biennial exhibition. * Katharina Rosenberger Rosenberger joined the department of music in 2008 as assistant professor in composition. Much of her work manifests in an interdisciplinary context and confronts traditional performance practice in terms of how sound is produced, heard and seen. Rosenberger is the recipient of the Reid Hall and Camargo Foundation Fellowships, the Pro Helvetia composition commission and the Mediaprojects Award/Projekt Sitemapping of the Swiss Federal Agency. In 2005, Rosenberger was composer in residence with the Orchestre de Nimes, Nimes, France. The technology packages are part of a nationwide scholarship program established by Sony, with Intel's collaboration, to give students and junior faculty the tools they need to continue to achieve academic excellence. UC San Diego was one of 30 universities and community colleges around the country selected to participate in the program. The gifts of technology packages for the five student recipients was coordinated by UC San Diego's Guardian Scholars Program, which is committed to supporting former foster youth in their efforts to gain a college education. In addition to providing assistance with scholarship applications and financial aid, the program helps these students orient themselves to university life, gives them year-round access to campus housing, and assists with career planning and job opportunities. To learn more about the program and how you can help former foster youth achieve their dreams of a UC San Diego education, please call (858) 822-1536. The faculty gifts were coordinated by the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations. For more information on corporate partnerships and giving, please call (858) 822-6620. About the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center The Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego unites leaders in the fields of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, cardiology and cardiovascular research, in a comprehensive approach to battle heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Such interdisciplinary cooperation enables more patients to participate in clinical trials and to benefit sooner from new methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment. TNS MJ88-101211-3145439 StaffFurigay (c) 2010 Targeted News Service |