Two high school graduates win Kelly Kolozsi scholarship Two high school graduates win Kelly Kolozsi scholarship (August 03, 2005)

Two Sequoia High School graduates are winners of this year's Kelly J. Kolozsi Memorial Scholarship, established by family and friends of the young man who grew up in Atherton, graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was killed in 1988 at age 24, the victim of a drunken driver.

Nick Shaw will use his scholarship to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Vanessa Langston will begin her freshman year at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Kolozsi awards are given annually to graduates of high schools in the Sequoia Union High School District. To qualify, candidates must meet University of California admission standards and demonstrate the ability to overcome difficulties to achieve personal success.

The scholarship awards are based on merit and financial need, said his mother Tita Kolozsi. The amount of the cash awards are not disclosed by the scholarship committee.

Seven high school graduates received Kolozsi merit awards:

Woodside High: Bianca Gusto, who plans to attend UCLA; Amanda Pacheco, UC Berkeley; and Erika Rivas, UC Davis.

Sequoia High: Angelica Aberia, UC Davis, and Jennifer Khov, UCLA.

Carlmont High: Karalyn Ortega, UC Davis, and Baran Ugue, UC Berkeley.

Merit awards also will enable Jan Lin to continue her studies at UC Riverside and Jennifer Vilchez to begin her freshman year at UC Berkeley.

The son of Tita and John Kolozsi of Atherton, Kelly Kolozsi attended Laurel and Encinal schools and graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in 1982 and UC Santa Barbara in 1986.

Despite a learning disability, he demonstrated he could succeed with consistent effort, said family members. He worked at Montgomery Securities in San Francisco at the time of the accident.

Members of the selection committee are Marty Fuller, Lyn Hobach, Bryan Kolozsi, Tita Kolozsi, Jeanette Ogburn, Betty Oliver and Dan Siegel.

Students graduating from any Sequoia district high school in June 2006 and planning to attend a UC school may apply for the awards in February 2006. Additional information is available from the scholarship coordinator at each high school.

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