The Highline High School Alumni Foundation recently awarded a record $117,000 in scholarships to 29 graduating seniors from Highline High School’s Class of 2026, marking the largest scholarship distribution in the organization’s history.
New scholarships were added this year in memory of the late Joan Dehn Whidden and through a contribution from Tony Hayes for the Classic Eats Culinary Scholarship. The organization also increased each scholarship award to at least $4,000.
The foundation has awarded 545 scholarships totaling $1,425,500 since it was established in 1995.
“The record amount of money given is reflective of the strong support from our alumni and the effective stewardship of dollars by our dedicated volunteers,” Foundation President Jeff Ashley said. “Donors know that every dollar they give goes straight to support for students.”
In addition to recognizing scholarship recipients, the foundation honored three longtime volunteers with its Alumni of the Year award. The awards recognize individuals for decades of service to the foundation and the broader community.
This year’s honorees were:
- Cathy Low, Class of 1967
- Sally Newton, Class of 1970
- Scott Salzer, Class of 1971
According to the foundation, Low and Newton have managed the organization’s annual golf tournament for decades. Low also served as membership chair and has been actively involved with the Hi-Liners performing group and other community organizations.
Newton previously served as both vice president and president of the foundation and was a member of its scholarship committee.
Salzer, who served as senior class president while attending Highline High School, also starred in football and was selected to the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.
The foundation is based in Burien and serves the Highline High School community. Officials said the organization welcomes donations and new members to support future scholarship efforts.
More information is available through the foundation’s website or by contacting the organization at P.O. Box 66647, Burien, WA 98166.
Scholarships Awarded
| SCHOLARSHIP | AMOUNT | RECIPIENT(s) |
|---|---|---|
| DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIPS | ||
| ART – Dalgaard Photography & Graphic Design | $4,000 | Charlotte Binns |
| ART – McEachern Fine Art | $4,000 | Lina Duong |
| ART – Music | $4,000 | Simone Gordon |
| ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS | $4,000 | Betzahira Vazquez Vergara |
| MATH – Uli & Gayle Chi | $4,000 | August Tran |
| SCIENCE – Anex Brothers | $4,000 | Rihanna Lloyd-Evans |
| SOCIAL STUDIES | $4,000 | Itzel Pineda Lopez |
| WORLD LANGUAGE – Frau Pauler | $4,000 | Alysson Bertrand Gomez |
| CAREER FOCUSED SCHOLARSHIPS | ||
| BUSINESS – Nancy Tully | $4,000 | Isabella Sarmiento |
| BUSINESS/ENGINEERING/ATHLETICS – John P. Ashley | $4,000 | Robert Luu |
| CULINARY – Tony Hayes | $4,000 | Noah Ball |
| STEM – Donald Bunger | $5,000 | Asli Gutierrez Oseguera |
| NURSING – May Johnson Mettler | $4,000 | Marina Lobos Lobos |
| TEACHING – Patti Stewart Burgess | $4,000 (3 awards) | Ariana Strzelecki, Jesus Tremillo Rodriguez, Makenzi Strong |
| VOCATIONAL – Roger & Linda Walsh | $4,000 (3 awards) | C.D. Du, Muneera Mohamed, Sofia Lucatero |
| LEADERSHIP & EXCELLENCE | ||
| Dr. Alan Gunsul | $4,000 | Jenny Matias Gonzalez |
| Emily Nishimura Herod | $4,000 | Emily Esperanza-Gutierrez |
| Gary Low | $4,000 | Elizabeth Ortiz Rojas |
| Harry Lemon | $4,000 | Katelynh Le |
| Katherine Mitalas | $4,000 | Valeria Farias Rivera |
| Joan Carol Dehn Whidden | $4,000 | An Mai |
| NEED BASED SCHOLARSHIPS | ||
| Mavis Luksan | $4,000 (2 awards) | Mayte Guerra Ortiz, Leslie Sanchez Soria |
| BECU Turnaround | $4,000 (2 awards) | Delina Desta, Qeriya Mohamed Haji |
| TOTAL AWARDED | $117,000 | 29 Scholarships |
Photos courtesy Highline High School Alumni Foundation.
