Manhattan Beach Student Receives Kinecta Scholarship

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The founder and president of the South Bay Food Initiative is the winner of a scholarship from Kinecta Federal Credit Union. Kinecta's 2020 "Youth Scholarships and Teaching Grants for Growth" program is awarding $2,000 each to eight students and six teachers after receiving a total of 194 scholarship and 36 teaching grant applications. Manhattan Beach's Ryan Paul Rossow, a Mira Costa High School graduate, was honored with the distinction and plans to attend Vanderbilt University in the fall.

Through his South Bay Food Initiative, Rossow has performed over 2,000 hours of volunteer service, donating tons of food and delivering educational messages about food insecurity. “It isn’t just about how many people are hungry… it is about practical knowledge that our community can use to take some action," he said in a news release from Kinecta.

Rossow has received numerous awards and recognitions, including as an AP Scholar with Distinction, a recipient of the South Bay Magazine’s “19 Under 19” Award, the National Honor Society Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Mira Costa [High School] Award for Academic Excellence, Academic All-American with Outstanding Honors and membership in USA Water Polo. He also played and competed on Mira Costa’s water polo and swim teams and is the owner and CEO of H2OPolo Gear and an inventor of the water polo concussion prevention caps, patent pending.

"Kinecta Federal Credit Union is committed to helping students reach their full potential and teachers enhance their classroom offerings," said Latrice McGlothin, community ngagement officer, Kinecta. "We are proud to offer more than $28,000 in total to these deserving individuals especially during a time their achievements may have been overshadowed by recent events."

In addition to the announcement of the scholarships and grants, Innovision Society, an affiliate of Kinecta Federal Credit Union dedicated to financial empowerment, has selected ten students to each receive a $5,000 scholarship. Kinecta leaders honored all the winners on June 10 during a virtual award reception. Two of the winners also received a $250 Kinecta Kindness Award for their non-profit organizations.

To date, Kinecta has awarded more than $224,000 to help 99 students towards a higher education and 25 teachers fund classroom projects through its "Youth Scholarships and Teaching Grants for Growth" program. Winners were chosen by the Scholarship Program Selection Committee composed of 20 Kinecta employees. Eligible students submitted a written essay on a personal experience and how it influenced their development. Applications were scored based on the essay, community involvement, GPA, awards and achievements, extracurricular activities, and SAT or equivalent. The teachers' grants were awarded based on information provided in the application, the number of students impacted and project creativity.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union is one of the nation's largest credit unions, with approximately $4.5 billion in assets; 22 branches; two retail mortgage centers; and more than 255,000 members nationwide. Banking in the South Bay for 80 years, Kinecta offers its members a full range of financial products through the Credit Union and its subsidiaries, Kinecta Wealth Management and Kinecta Insurance Services. From 2011-2019, Kinecta has been named the South Bay's Best Credit Union by Daily Breeze readers. Kinecta was recently voted the best Credit Union in the South Bay for Easy Reader's 2020 Best of the Beach.