12 Santa Clara County High School Student-Athletes Awarded 2020 REACH Youth Scholarships

SAN JOSE (June 23, 2020) – Twelve Santa Clara County high school seniors were awarded REACH Youth
Scholarships today by the San Jose Sports Authority at the 2020 REACH Youth Scholarship Awards Show,
presented by Qualcomm. The program honored a total of 47 local students who overcame adversity to excel
in both academics and athletics. Due to COVID-19, the annual awards breakfast was converted into an hour-
long television broadcast – a first for the REACH Youth Scholarship Awards – that aired on NBC Sports Bay
Area today from 5-6 p.m.

NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and FIFA World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain serve as the Honorary Co-
Chairs of the program and provided congratulatory and motivational remarks in the broadcast.
REACH, an acronym for Recognizing Excellence, Adversity, Courage and Hard work, is in its 24 th year as a
program of the San Jose Sports Authority.

Robert Braunstein and Aubrie Tolliver, Co-Hosts of the 49ers Cal-Hi Sports Report, served as hosts of the
REACH broadcast and announced $38,000 in scholarship awards on behalf of presenting sponsor Qualcomm,
with additional support from top sponsors Heritage Bank, Berliner & Cohen, Intero Foundation, The Olander
Company & Steve Hallgrimson Foundation.

The broadcast included congratulatory video messages from local sports stars, including Brent Burns (SJ
Sharks), Steph Curry (GS Warriors), Jimmy Garoppolo (SF 49ers), and JT Marcinkowski (SJ Earthquakes).
Also featured were two past recipients of REACH Youth Scholarships: James Jones, NFL Super Bowl Winner from Gunderson High School (Class of 2002) and Devyn Lopez from William C. Overfelt High School (Class of
2019). The broadcast also included in-depth video profiles of six of the top scholarship recipients.

“The nominees and winners we recognized today are an inspiring group of students who, despite very
difficult circumstances, have excelled and exhibit a spirit of tenacity.” said John Poch, executive director of
the San Jose Sports Authority. “As an avid supporter of youth sports in our community, the Sports Authority
is proud to partner with Qualcomm to honor the achievements of these outstanding young citizens.”

Teachers, counselors, and coaches from each high school in Santa Clara County were asked to nominate
students who they felt matched the scholarship criteria. Students submitted essays detailing how they were
able to overcome adversity and the role that sports played in helping them do so. A panel of local community
leaders reviewed the essays, interviewed the candidates and selected the twelve scholarship recipients, who
received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 (list of recipients follows) as well as a new laptop
powered by Qualcomm technology. Further, each remaining nominee received a $250 scholarship.

2020 REACH Youth Scholarship Recipients

Tristin Pelletaire – Leigh High School – Football, Wrestling – $10,000

Tristin grew up fast. His older brother has special needs and is non-verbal, and for as long as he could
remember, his mom was battling breast cancer. After she passed away when he was 11 years old, Tristin
stepped up to assist with many of the responsibilities at home, but also found time for both school and
sports. His mom’s fighting spirit is part of everything he does.

Gloria Mota Torres – William C. Overfelt High School – Cross Country, Soccer, Track & Field – $7,500

Instability and trauma were the two constants in Gloria’s early childhood until she went to live with her
aunt in East San Jose. She has since developed an inner resolve and optimistic outlook while also
enjoying success as a student-athlete.

Molly Erezo – Silver Creek High School – Basketball, Volleyball – $5,000

Molly and her four sisters had to pull together after their father’s death and mother’s ongoing struggles
with addiction. Molly found solace – and success – on the volleyball and basketball courts, honoring her
father’s memory through her commitment to school and athletics.

Lamin Sannoh – Leigh High School – Football, Wrestling, Soccer, Track & Field – $3,000

When Lamin moved from war-torn Sierra Leone to the U.S., sports provided him with much-needed
opportunities to learn English and make friends. The four-sport athlete is the first in his family to
graduate from high school and to attend college.

Jonathon Leslie – Lynbrook High School – Baseball, Football – $2,500

Born into trauma and dysfunction, Jonathan found strength and stability with his amazing foster (now
adoptive) mom. Today, Jonathan is an accomplished athlete, a leader in the community and a role
model to his four younger sisters.

Nancy Miranda – Luis Valdez Leadership Academy – Basketball – $2,000

While life at home could be chaotic, Nancy’s focus on school and basketball kept her on track. The
captain of the basketball team, she helped found her school’s LGBTQ club and earned numerous
accolades for her leadership.

Anthony Madrigal – Valley Christian High School – Football, Basketball, Rugby, Track & Field – $2,000

For Anthony, the impact of his mother’s drug use during pregnancy resulted in his placement in foster
care as well as a learning disability. Despite these challenges, he excelled and will soon be a football
student-athlete at SJSU.

Samuel Espino Hernandez, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy – Basketball, Cross Country, Track & Field – $1,500

Samuel juggled several jobs to contribute to the family finances and helped care for his grandmother
until her passing last year. He credits his love of family for his success in school and sports.

Alondra Rodriguez Vidrio, Luis Valdez Leadership Academy – Cheer, Soccer – $1,500

Alondra’s neighborhood can be tough, but her love of school and enthusiasm for soccer have helped her
to look past its shortcomings and challenges. Service-oriented at heart, she hopes to become a social
worker.

Isabelle Alduino, Westmont High School – Volleyball, Track & Field – $1,500

After being diagnosed with a serious medical condition that requires daily management of her diet and
water intake, Isabelle worked tirelessly to achieve her goal of playing volleyball at the college level.

Brandon Johnson, Santa Teresa High School – Cross Country, Wrestling, Track & Field – $1,000

Born with severe food allergies and asthma, sports became Brandon’s motivation to persevere. Despite
pain in his lungs and the shortness of breath, Brandon lettered in 10 varsity sports and will compete as a
distance runner in college.

Payton Stokes, Saratoga High School – Football, Baseball – $1,000

After several misdiagnoses, Payton learned a bone tumor was causing the searing pain in his leg. A battle
with his health insurance company over treatment options ensued before Payton finally had surgery and
recovered in time to play his final football season.

2020 REACH Youth Scholarship Finalists

(The following students will all receive a $250 scholarship.)

Student-Athlete	School	Sport(s)
Ricky Amador	Eastside College Preparatory School	Cross Country, Track & Field
Cesar Barajas	Latino College Preparatory Academy	Soccer
Nina Barry	Valley Christian High School	Basketball, Track & Field
Ellie Blach	Presentation High School	Field Hockey, Soccer
Jesslyn Cabangbang	Branham H.S.	Basketball
Leonardo Campos	William C. Overfelt High School	Football
Cynthia Dharmawan	Henry M. Gunn High School	Golf
Mason Echols	Eastside College Preparatory School	Soccer
Bailey Erickson	Prospect High School	Field Hockey, Soccer
Angelique Gonzales	Anzar High School	Cheer
Rachel Grant	Henry M. Gunn High School	Volleyball, Lacrosse
Katherine Kindle	William C. Overfelt High School	Softball
Jasmine Loyola-Tinney	Wilcox High School	Volleyball
Mason Manca	Los Gatos High School	Soccer, Track & Field
Kiyomi Nguyen	Branham High School	Field Hockey, Softball
Bryan Nieto	Andrew Hill High School	Wrestling
Dallas Odle	Homestead High School	Soccer
Colby Okinaka	Monta Vista High School	Swimming
Cynthia Olivo	Apollo Academy	Basketball
John Pantoja	Archbishop Mitty High School	Cross Country, Track & Field
Samantha Ross	Archbishop Mitty High School	Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Track & Field
Raymond Ruiz	Eastside College Preparatory School	Soccer
Chris Sagahon	Branham High School	Soccer
Evelen Sahagun-Orocio	Luis Valdez Leadership Academy	Cheer, Volleyball
Eitan Smolyar	Henry M. Gunn High School	Football
Juan Solis	Latino College Preparatory Academy	Soccer, Baseball
Audrey Telkamp	Mountain View	Volleyball, Basketball
Gurpreet Uppal	Fremont High School	Soccer
Victoria Valdez	Monta Vista High School	Field Hockey
Sigi Valencia	Los Gatos High School	Soccer
Aiden Velasquez	Branham High School	Soccer, Volleyball
Xitlali Venegas	William C. Overfelt High School	Soccer
Alan Villanueva	Westmont High School	Badminton
Elaine-Jane S. Viloria	William C. Overfelt High School	Swimming
Kimberly Vo	Andrew Hill High School	Basketball