Toyota awards $1.12 million in scholarships to 100 high school seniors
Winners at top of class in both academics and community service
05/07/2004 Louisville, KY
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) rewarded 100 high school seniors with $1.12 million in college scholarships for their commitment to education and community service at an awards banquet tonight.
The winners, who make up the eighth class of Toyota Community Scholars, were chosen from a pool of nearly 10,000 students nationwide nominated by their schools. To be eligible, students must be proven leaders both in the classroom and in their communities.
Based on its accomplishments, the 2004 class learned at an early age that "giving back" to the community was not an obligation, but, rather, a way of life. As one Scholar, Alejandro Farias of Los Angeles, put it: "I take great satisfaction and pleasure from helping those in need and discovering how much of a positive outcome one individual can have on society."
For the 2004 class, their dreams of making a difference became reality through programs ranging from providing free music lessons to children from low income and Latino families, to a youth anti-tobacco campaign that has reached as far as India, to a 53-day cross-country bicycling trip that raised nearly $100,000 toward the fight against multiple sclerosis.
"These students are America
