Local student wins $10,000 scholarship

Kenneth Wong, a senior at Corona del Mar High School, has won $10,000 in scholarship money from the Irvine Co. He is one of only four students this year to receive the honor.

At a ceremony Wednesday evening, Kenneth was honored along with three other high school seniors as Student Leadership Award finalists. The winners in the annual competition each received $10,000 in scholarship funds.

“I’ve been really honored to have been a scholarship winner,” Kenneth, 17, said. “It’s been an incredible process this whole senior year, and I’m mightily impressed by the Irvine Co.’s generosity.”

It was the second major award that Kenneth has received in the past two months. In April, he and his twin sister, Stephanie, were among the 32 Newport Beach high school students recognized at the Chamber of Commerce’s 45th annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast.

The Irvine Co. started its Student Leadership Award program 20 years ago, awarding scholarship money to students in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin, Laguna Beach and Orange. Administrators at each school submit the names of one boy and one girl for consideration.

The initial 30 students chosen receive $2,000 in scholarship money, after which the judges conduct interviews and select eight semifinalists. To be named to the final four, contestants must go through an additional interview.

In all, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District named eight students to the competition this year, with two ? Kenneth and Newport Harbor High School senior Philip Houten ? making the semifinals. Kenneth is the 13th Newport-Mesa student to be a finalist.dpt.19-wong-BPhotoInfoMJ1R3QDC20060519izhjwrnc(LA)Kenneth Wong