Rotary Club of Alameda awarded $20,000 in college scholarships to 19 local high school seniors during a celebratory dinner on Wednesday, June 24.
The festive event, held at the Trinity Lutheran Church and catered by Pizzeria Pappo, brought together families, friends, and community members to honor the students. To earn an award, each recipient navigated a rigorous application and interview process. During the event, the scholars took turns giving speeches outlining their high school achievements, future goals, and college plans.
[1]Members of the Rotary Scholarship Committee praised the recipients, describing them as an exceptionally bright, creative, and intelligent group. Several committee members noted that reviewing the applications gave them immense hope for the future, citing the students’ strong work ethic and shared desire to give back to the community.
The 2026 scholarship recipients include the following students, listed by their high school and noting the college or university they will attend:
- Alameda High School – Chloe An, UC Berkeley; Jonathan Aycock, Boston University; Sarah Bakhtary, UC Davis; Molly Ann Edison, University of North Carolina; Milo Ramon Hartlaub, Oregon State; Kala Lau Seim, New York University; Delaney Mahony Bick, San Diego State; Sofia Vigil Dombeck, UC Berkeley.
- Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) – Ali Amiri, UC Berkeley; Jianzong (Jacky) Kuang, UC Santa Barbara.
- Encinal Jr. Sr. High School – Iris Ko, UCLA; Jonas Locke, UC Davis; Long Pham, UC San Diego; Isaac Kowei Tan, UCLA.
- St. Joseph Notre Dame High School – Brandon Fong, Princeton University; Julia Macaulay, UC Berkeley.
- Alameda Community Learning Center – Krista Mehlberg, Macalester College; Hana Demoze Tilahun, UCSF; Marley-Marie Rodrigues, San Francisco State.
Each year, Rotary Club of Alameda reaches out to graduating seniors across the island to offer financial support for higher education. Beyond scholarships, the club’s mission centers on leading hands-on service projects, building community partnerships, fundraising for local nonprofits, and supporting international humanitarian efforts.
Community members interested in learning more or joining Rotary Club of Alameda can contact the organization via email at [email protected] [2].
Editor’s note: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated which school Sarah Bakhtary graduated from.