CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Brad Evans Scholars Named

Two Corona del Mar High School seniors have been named this year’s Brad Evans Scholarship winners.

Sarah Hostetler and Taylor Stefano, both graduates of Harbor View Elementary School, will each receive $600. The Harbor View Parents Faculty Organization sponsors the scholarships, which honor former student Brad Evans, who was a UC-Berkeley student when he died in 2001.

Students wrote essays that described how their experiences at Harbor View influenced their success in high school.

Hostetler, who will attend Tulane University in the fall, described a fourth grade talent show that her teacher, Cindy Coon, decided to organize.

“I couldn’t think of a talent,” Hostetler wrote in her essay. “The only thing I was confident of was that I would not be up on that stage and be a part of the show. That was heart-breaking to a fourth grader.”

The teacher became overwhelmed with the details, however, and she asked Hostetler to be her assistant.

“I had not taken anything so seriously in my previous ten years on Earth,” she wrote. “Every recess and lunch for three weeks I spent with Mrs. Coon working on the show. Even though I didn’t have a traditional talent to perform, I discovered a passion in me – and a talent – for organizing an event. It probably wasn’t a common passion for a fourth grader, but I was hooked!”

In high school, Hostetler served as a student representative on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board, meeting with school board members and learning about districtwide issues.

“It made me realize that I also like being involved with the big picture side of things,” she wrote. “Looking to the future, I plan on continuing to be a student leader in the organizations that I join on my college campus.”

Stefano’s essay described transferring to Harbor View from a private school in fourth grade, and how her teachers’ sensitivity and patience instilled the ability and desire to help others.

“With this, I soon became a club President at my high school who is dedicated to helping the less fortunate children of Mexico,” she wrote. In August, Stefano was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the Corazon de Vida organization for her work; read our story here.

“Attending elementary school at Harbor View has taught me bravery, confidence, and it has given me the knowledge I need to build a successful life for myself,” Stefano wrote. “I believe that the foundation you are given as a child will carry you for the rest of your life, and I am very proud to have built mine at Harbor View Elementary.”

Stefano plans to attend Texas Christian University in the fall, with major in business and minor in nutrition in the honors college.

Pictured on top is Hostetler, and below is Stefano. Photos courtesy of the scholarship winners.