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19 Students Awarded $74,000 During the DEF Seventh Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 05/02/2025
The seventh annual Dysart Education Foundation (DEF) Scholarship Awards Dinner was held at the Dysart Unified Support Services Facility with 125 people in attendance. DEF awarded $74,000 to 19 graduating high school seniors from the four Dysart Unified School District (DUSD) high schools with scholarships to obtain higher education in their chosen fields.
Students received their scholarship certificates in the presence of their families, DUSD principals, counselors, administration, governing board, the community leaders and officers from Surprise and El Mirage, and the donors of their scholarships. The dinner was sponsored and catered by SFE-Southwest Foodservice Excellence. This ensures that 100% of the donations are awarded to students and recognizes the support of their families and administrators.
The support theme of the night centered around past high school alumni students: Bry Martinez (Shadow Ridge High School graduate) who opened the dinner singing the national anthem, Renee Rodriquez (Dysart High School graduate) the photographer for the evening, Keynote Speaker, Grace Macior (Shadow Ridge High School graduate) Kindergarten Teacher at Western Peaks Elementary, city officials and guest graduates from Dysart High School, and current National Honor Society volunteers from Shadow Ridge High School, Kya Lynch and Iliana Trujillo, rounded out the extra evening.
DEF is excited to support the dreams and goals of the Class of 2025 as they pursue Arts & Sciences, Writing, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Culinary Arts, Business Management, Aviation, Nursing, Criminology, Music Performance, Law and Public Service, Forensic Sciences, Aerospace Engineering, IT Security, and Pre Med. Follow their journey through the DEF updates on their social media platforms.
Congratulations to:
$25,000 Scholarship Award; Subaru Superstore of Surprise/DEF; $5,000 Scholarships:
Dysart High School: Nyasia Mcgriff
Shadow Ridge High School: Logan Ryan
Valley Vista High School: Avery Slade
Willow Canyon High School: Jose Cortez and Keaton Kovaly
$25,000 Alumni Scholarship Awards; $5,000 Scholarship:
Dysart High School: Maryam Ayna and Mason Kirk
Shadow Ridge High School: Madison Thibault
Valley Vista High School: Calvin Timbrooks
Willow Canyon High School: Maya Delgado
$10,000 Scholarship Award; SFE-Southwest Foodservice Excellence; $5,000 Scholarship
Willow Canyon High School: Camden Brown
Valley Vista High School: Isabella Marsh
$5,000 Scholarship Award; Randy Sterna Grand Opportunity
Dysart High School: Juli Bredvig
$5,000 Scholarship Award; Tyrus Timbrooks Memorial; $2,500 Scholarship
Dysart High School: Caleb Williams and Madilyn Cortez Pantaleon
$2,000 Scholarship Award; El Mirage Firefighters Charities
Valley Vista High School: Gavin Barragan
$2,000 Scholarship Award; Surprise Public Safety; $500 Scholarship
Dysart High School: Franklyna Fawundu
Shadow Ridge High School: Logan Ryan
Valley Vista High School: Kaylee Clark
Willow Canyon High School: Nolan Castonguay
The foundation thanks and appreciates everyone that contributed to this memorable evening.
DEF is a non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1985 whose sole purpose is to enrich and enhance educational opportunities in the Dysart Unified School District through fundraising. College scholarships are awarded to seniors who demonstrate academic excellence, community involvement and requesting financial assistance.
The doors are open for volunteers in fundraising, marketing, social media, events, and operational support. Donations from businesses and individuals are always welcome. Visit the tab on our website under Alumni, Friends, & Donors for more information.
DEF’s intent is to engage the community in supporting public education by stimulating community involvement in education. Scholarships are available to apply in January through March 15 of the graduating school year. Visit www.DysartEducationFoundation.org for more information and to offer donations.