The Roger Yamanaka Scholarship was presented to Darin Palma Ruelas of Costa Mesa High School in a ceremony earlier this month.
The presenter was Russell Yamanaka, former principal of Alhambra High School and cousin of Roger Yamanaka (1947-1968).
Darin is graduating with a 4.3 GPA and has been accepted to all of the four-year universities he has applied to. He has been involved in many extracurricular school activities, received numerous honors including the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, which is granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken.
This year’s scholarship was in the amount of $5,400.
In a letter to the donors, Darin wrote: “I wanted to reach out with this letter to give my sincere thank you for investing in my future. Support like this means more than I can fully express, not just because of the financial relief, but also because it represents that you believe in my success in the future.
“Growing up, I was the oldest of a first-generation household, and it really shaped who I am right now. From a very young age, I took on responsibilities that went well beyond just school, such as translating for my parents, helping raise my younger brothers, and finding ways to contribute to my family financially. I even started recycling glass bottles from my father’s workplace, and it has significantly helped a lot.
“I’ve always lived by the motto ‘Un día no vamos a estar aquí,’ One day we won’t be here.’ It’s a reminder that life is short, that sacrifice is real, and that the opportunity to get better and be a better person isn’t guaranteed.
“Despite that pressure, I continued to persevere and commit fully to my education. I followed an Engineering Design CTE pathway starting in 7th grade, competed in the MESA program, where my team placed first at preliminaries and second at regionals in a moon base design challenge, and served as a four-year varsity football captain and linebacker, earning 2nd Team All-League and Scholar Athlete honors.
“Last summer, I interned at Ware Malcomb, an architecture and commercial real estate firm in Irvine, where I worked on 3D interior and exterior modeling and presented findings directly to company executives. Each of these experiences reinforced my belief that I belong in engineering and that I have something real to contribute.
“Due to some unforeseen financial circumstances, my path has started to take a different form than originally planned, but I’ve made peace with that. This fall, I will be attending Irvine Valley College, where I plan to enroll in the Honors Program and pursue coursework aligned with civil engineering. My goal is to transfer to a four-year university within a year, fully prepared and with a clear direction.
“I do not consider this a detour in any manner, since the community college honors track will allow me to take rigorous coursework, and allow me to keep my main goal in sight: to get my civil engineering degree and give back to my community.
“Since my family operates on tight margins, every dollar that I don’t have to borrow or ask for is less pressure on my family’s shoulders. This money also allows me to go to IVC with momentum and the backing of people who support me, knowing that I want to honor their investment in me with results. I understand that scholarships go to students who are expected to go far in their careers, and I intend to do exactly that, by transferring, graduating, and earning that degree to build a career that gives back to communities that look like mine.
“Again, thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let this investment go to waste.”
Roger Yamanaka’s Last Letter Home
On Dec. 21, 1967, Roger penned what would be his final correspondence with loved ones back home,
a holiday greeting from the front lines.
Actually I don’t feel like Christmas has arrived as the days are the same, with no “carols” etc. The only evidence of the season is the cards from home.
It seems a little ironic and sad that man cannot learn the true meaning of love even at the birthday of Christ. The words “goodwill” and “peace” seem so distant in a land where our only purpose is to kill. I pray that one day all men can be happy, joyful and thankful, as I have been in all the Christmases past.
May God bless you in this, His season.
Love, Roger
Russell Tells Roger’s Story
Roger Kimo Yamanaka was born on Dec. 29, 1947 to James and Tetsuo Yamanaka in Honolulu. His family then moved to Los Angeles when he was 9 years old. We lived only a few blocks from each other, so we developed a brother-like relationship. We belonged to the same YMCA club, attended the same junior high school and church.
When we were in the ninth grade, Roger and his family moved to Las Vegas, where his father was assigned as the president of the YMCA.
Roger’s family then moved to Costa Mesa, where he attended Costa Mesa High School. He graduated in 1965 then attended Orange Coast College. After one year at OCC, Roger enlisted in the U.S. Marines.
After completing basic training and advanced individual training, Roger was deployed to Vietnam and was killed in 1968 during the siege at Khe Sanh.
When I retired in 2008, I decided to sponsor a scholarship in his name and award this scholarship to a graduating senior at Costa Mesa High School. The funding for the scholarship is through the generous donations from our relatives, friends of Roger and others who never met Roger but wanted to help.
A few years ago, I was able to locate several of Roger’s Marine comrades who served with him and were present when he was KIA. They also donate to the scholarship. The amount of the scholarship ranges between $4,000 and $6,000 each year.
Each February, the scholarship application is made available to Costa Mesa High School graduating seniors. There are usually 15 to 25 applicants. After interviewing each applicant, I make a decision who the recipient will be based on their academics, school activities, community service, and how they conducted themselves during the interview.
At the end of the school year in June, Costa Mesa High School holds a Senior Awards Night. This is where I present the Roger Yamanaka Scholarship to the recipient.