The Claremont Area Chapter of The Links, Incorporated—one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations—recently recognized outstanding local high school students with a total of $19,000 in Linking to the Future scholarships with amounts ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 each.   

The awards were recognized at a scholarship luncheon held at the Kellogg West event center at California Polytechnic University, Pomona. Each student was also presented with a kente cloth and a Claremont Area Chapter Scholarship T-shirt.

Two of the scholarships are designated for continuing college students majoring in the area of science, technology, math or engineering  (STEM). One scholarship is granted in memory of Rena Bruce Williams, a charter member of the Claremont Area Chapter. Another scholarship is the Brian E. Watkins Global Impact Scholarship, which is renewable for the undergraduate career of the student.  

The scholarship awards for 2013 were granted to the following students for outstanding academic performance and community service: Breanna Chambliss, Leeah Powell, Ganiyah Thurston, Spencer Williams, Maxwell Wilkinson, Chaz Frazier, Storm Vanhundley, Maria Henderson, Pamela Diala, Omani Sheppard, Reina Black, William Campbell, Elizabeth Gillet, Breanna Hardaway, Chariah Harris and Chaundria Harris.

The scholars will be attending colleges and universities throughout the country, including Pomona College, Vassar College, University of California Los Angeles, College of St. Benedict, Prairie View, A & M University, University of Arizona, Howard University, Bethune Cookman University, Cal Poly Pomona, California Baptist College, UC Irvine, Georgia State University and Gardner-Webb University.