M-A senior honored with 4-year scholarship M-A senior honored with 4-year scholarship (June 01, 2005)

Jason Burks, a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School, is one of three area seniors being honored with a $16,000 scholarship from the University Club of Palo Alto.

The club's Scholarship Committee noted Jason's work ethic, integrity and grace in addition to his grade-point average of 4.14 and his plans to spend his summer in Ethiopia tending to the poor and sick.

"His energetic and selfless attitude allows him to fill a natural leadership position both inside and outside the classroom," said one of his teachers.

After graduation, Jason is headed to the University of California at Los Angeles to study engineering. The scholarship will be paid over four years. Jason's father plans to help with the college expenses, but the family has little money to spare, said Fred Miller, a Menlo Park resident and a member of the Scholarship Committee.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, financial need and "a desire to make a difference in the lives of others," said Mr. Miller.

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