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SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Seventeen graduating Mahoning Valley high school students received scholarships from the Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Scholarship Foundation to continue their education.
The scholarships, totaling $170,000, were presented Monday by Denise DeBartolo York and her husband, John York, San Francisco 49ers co-chairs and education advocates, during a luncheon at The Lake Club.
Scholarship recipients plan careers in medicine, construction management, business, exercise science, education, finance, visual communication design, recreation administration, dentistry, biochemistry, biology, marketing and international business.
“This really is an exciting day,” John York said. “Denise’s father started this event a very long time ago. I think this is about 40-plus years that this event has been going on, and Denise has taken up the torch and has continued to do this herself for many years.”
He called the scholarships a starting point for students who attended the luncheon with members of their families.
Edward J. DeBartolo established the scholarships with several close friends who wanted to offer young people the opportunity to continue their education. York and DeBartolo York run the foundation in DeBartolo’s honor to “provide the same platform for excellent area youth in need of financial assistance,” a news release from the foundation said.
The 17 scholarship recipients were chosen from more than 300 applications. Each submitted grade transcripts, student essays and recommendations from principals and school counselors in applying. Academic achievement, community involvement and financial need determined the scholarship winners.
DeBartolo York, with a portrait of her late father on an easel nearby, handed each scholarship winner a plaque before posing for a photograph with each student.
“Rewarding these young students for their work inside the classroom as well as their work in the community is very special to me,” DeBartolo York said in a prepared statement. “My father always believed that young people should have the opportunity to continue their education, regardless of their financial situation. These students have demonstrated the drive and determination to accomplish their goals and should be very proud.”
One recipient, Maya Banks of Campbell Memorial High School, plans to attend Kent State University this fall to study pre-medicine.
“Eventually, I want to become an anesthesiologist,” Maya, her school’s salutatorian, said. “From a young age, I just really wanted to do that.”
She acknowledged that she worked hard through school, staying focused.
Olivia Hardgrove of United High School plans to study exercise science at the University of Mount Union beginning this fall. She hopes to become a physician assistant.
Achieving academic success involved a lot of study, she said.
“A lot of my work is just College Credit Plus classes,” Olivia said. “A lot of the ones that had labs – I took a biology class this year and it was a very time consuming and very hard class to take. But I do owe all of the hard courses that I’ve taken because I think it prepared me for college.”
The other recipients and their schools are:
Over the past 28 years, the Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than $2.2 million in scholarships.
Pictured at top: John York and Denise DeBartolo York, at left, awarded scholarships to 17 graduating Mahoning Valley high school students to further their education.
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