SALT LAKE CITY — The Mount Olympus Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) held its scholarship awards luncheon at the Asian Star Restaurant in June 2021. JACL is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the U.S. There are three chapters of the JACL in Utah.
Students who may apply for the chapter scholarships must be high school seniors. They are judged on academic achievements, JACL participation, and overall activity. An independent panel did the judging, which was difficult because the students were all very outstanding. The top three scholarships were for $2,500 each.
Scholarship Chair Reid Tateoka and Chapter President Richard Mano presented scholarships to the following graduating seniors, who are listed in order of rank in the judging: Alex Tokita, Carli Mano, Delaney Hilton, Kylee Wunder, and Alex Okawa.
Alex Tokita and Alex Okawa will both be attending the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Carli Mano will attend Utah State University at Logan, Utah. Delaney Hilton will attend Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Kylee Wunder will be going to BYU Hawaii.
To highlight the work and talent of one of the students, a video was shown of a dance choreographed by Delaney Hilton in which she performed with a group. It was in memory of her grandmother, Cheryl Mano, who passed away in February of 2021. She had fought a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer for nearly four years.
Floyd Mori was the speaker. Each of the students had the opportunity to say a few words to the group. Friends and relatives were on hand to show support and offer congratulations to the students.
Andy Okamoto of the Mount Olympus Chapter was chosen as the winner of the JACL Intermountain District Council Congressional Gold Medal Scholarship this year.