Greenspring Awards 20 Fairfax County High School Seniors With $10,000 Scholarships

The Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield awarded 20 Fairfax County students with $10,000 college scholarships at an award ceremony at its Springfield campus on Wednesday, May 29. In order to be eligible for the scholarships, each student must have worked at least 1,000 hours with the community in their junior and senior years of high school.  

“You’ve had this great fortune to get to know and work with the greatest generation,” said Robin Gliboff, Greenspring's executive director, to the students.

The Greenspring Scholars’ Fund donated $200,000 to the cause this year - all donated by many of the 2,000 residents, various resident clubs and staff members. The fund was created in 2009, and, this is the first year that recipients get $10,000 (it was first $4,000 per student, later $6,000). Each student will receive $1,250 per semester. 

“Because of your generosity you’re allowing another generation to follow their dreams and reach their goals,” said Mark Greenfelder, West Springfield High School Principal, to the residents in attendance. “There is a lot of hope for our future.”

Additionally, Greenspring resident Steve Guback donated $100,000 for the new $5,000 Steve and Renie Guback Scholarship. Guback, a former award-winning sportswriter with The Washington Evening Star, has lived at Greenspring since 2009. In his younger years, he was awarded the Ernie Pyle Scholarship when he attended Indiana University at Bloomington.  

“The scholarship at Indiana helped to launch my career as a sportswriter,” said Guback. “I realize how much that helped me, so I’ve always been trying to repay that back as much as I can… I vowed that if I ever got into a position where I could help someone else out I would.”

Matthew Kaufax received the first Steve and Renie Guback Scholarship. Kaufax is a graduating senior of the Thomas A. Edison High School, and will attend the SI Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University this fall. 

"(Kaufax) is going to set bar awfully high and will carry on the name extremelywell,” said Guback. 

The 2013 Greenspring Scholars:

From Robert E. Lee High School

• Junaid Ahmed
• Mariam Bayat
• Mayra Cruz
• Michelle Jose 
• Brett Nelson
• Kenneth Roland
• Salem Solomon
• Meley Woldetatios

From West Springfield High School

• Meronne Teklu
• Tracy Tranch
• Shaniqua Burhans
• Mercedes Zettlemayer

From South County High School

• Jesle Choi
• Alex Pinto

From Woodbridge Senior High School

• Valeria Barco Saenz 

From Hayfield Secondary School

• Heran Beniam
• Saurabh Verma
• Sudhanshu Patyal
  

From Lake Braddock High School

• Jessica Oo
• Zhou Zhou