Local students win Comcast Foundation scholarships

Rhiannon A. Bates, a senior at Shorecrest High School, and Dylan B. Stephens, a senior at Shorewood High School, are among the 90 recipients of the Comcast Foundation’s annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program awards in Washington State, the Foundation has announced.

Among Bates’ past and present achievements: volunteering 500 hours with ZooCorps and tutoring Spanish-speaking students; and serving as president of the film club and participating in the swim and dive team, the science club and the Muslin Student Association. At the time the school nominated her for the award, Bates was planning to study zoology at Washington State University.

Kathy France, youth program coordinator for the Woodland Park Zoo Society, wrote to the Comcast Foundation, “Rhiannon is a smart, focused and mature young woman.  She is patient and helpful with our visitors, particularly those who are very young.  She stays current with the content we teach, and makes an extra effort to re-tool her presentations when her audience doesn't understand the concepts.  She is remarkable organized and is faithful with her scheduling - a trait that is greatly appreciated but often not quite "there" with volunteers of this age.  She is a joy to work with.”

Shorewood student Dylan Stephens
awarded Comcast scholarship

Among Stephens’ past and present achievements: serving as an Advanced Care Volunteer at Swedish Edmonds Hospital and participating in Young Life High School Youth Group and as a Wyldlife leader of a middle school youth group. He is president of the senior class and earned a Varsity letter in tennis. At the time the school nominated him for the scholarship, Stephens was planning to pursue pre-med studies at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers  Scholarship Program provides $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

To date, Comcast has awarded nearly $19 million to nearly 19,000 Leaders and Achievers Scholarship winners.

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $123 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. Information about Comcast in Washington.