By Mike Greife,
April 2, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Two Kansas City area high school students were named recipients
of the University of Central Missouri’s 2016 Cesar E. Chavez Scholarships during a
ceremony Saturday, April 23. The presentation was part of the Cesar E. Chavez Day
celebration at the Guadalupe Center in Kansas City.
Deborah Curtis, UCM provost and chief learning officer, and Monica Huffman, executive
assistant to UCM President Charles Ambrose and a member of the Chavez Scholarship
Committee, presented the scholarships Zachary Jaso, a senior at Olathe North High
School, and Aaliyah Hamilton, a senior at Raytown High School.
The university scholarships will provide financial assistance in the amount of $3,125
per year and are renewable until graduation if academic requirements are met. Both
recipients will use their scholarships to enter UCM in the fall, where Jaso plans
to study nutrition and Hamilton will study nursing.
While attending Olathe North, Jaso has participated varsity football and wrestling.
He also has been a member of the golf team and participated in Eagle Service Club.
At Raytown High School, Hamilton has participated in debate and softball. She is enrolled
in the A+ program and tutors younger students in English. She also is currently enrolled
in the Pre-Professional Nursing Program and UCM-Lee’s Summit.
Founded in 2004 as a cooperative effort between UCM and the Cesar Chavez Scholarship
Committee in Kansas City, the Cesar Scholarship is presented by UCM annually by during
the Cesar Chavez Festival in Kanas City to students planning to attend UCM.
