Student Awarded Scholarship for Forming Disabled Teens Group

A senior from Newport Harbor High School will have some extra money to help pay for college in San Diego thanks to her commitment to community service.

Katherine Yamamoto was awarded a $2,000 scholarship from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. Katherine was one of 21 scholarship winners. Katherine was selected because she brought the Capernaum Club  --an organization that raises money to help provide disabled teens with the opportunities to experience fun activities -- to Newport Harbor High School.

Along with her charitable efforts, Katherine is also a member of the National Honor Society, the tennis team, and the Smile Train Club which holds fundraisers to benefit underprivileged children with cleft palates. She also volunteered as a student ambassador at the Newport Bay Conservancy where she participated in coastal clean-ups and restoration projects.

Katherine was one of 104 students who received the $2,000 scholarships. The winners were chosen out of 2,000 applicants. She plans to put her scholarship toward her college education at the University of California, San Diego where she will be majoring in literature and writing.