Alumni Scholarships

We are grateful to our generous alumni and families, as they provide a means for graduating Bearcats to pursue their dreams. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to one of the following scholarships, please contact:

Evestella Hanson

College and Career Advisor

ehanson@smuhsd.org or (650) 558-2318

Thank you in advance for your support and generosity!

SCHOLARSHIP DESCRIPTIONS

Barbara Snider Memorial Scholarship Fund

In her time serving as the College Advisor at San Mateo High School, Barbara Snider derived great joy from helping students who yearned for higher education but who were unsure of how to achieve that goal. The Barbara Snider Memorial Scholarship strives to help these types of students. Every year, a recipient is selected who has demonstrated a clear intent to pursue higher education, has continually shown a hunger for education while at San Mateo, and who will be the first in his or her family to attend college.

Faculty and Staff Scholarship Fund

The Faculty and Staff Scholarship is awarded to students who have overcome challenges in their education and who have left a positive impact on their high school community. Awarded to both four year bound and community college bound students, the Faculty and Staff Scholarship helps these deserving Bearcats get started at college on the right foot.

Erudite Scholarship

Founded by the Erudite Learning Foundation, the Erudite Scholarship helps San Mateo English as Second Language (E.S.L.) students overcome financial hardships to continue their education after high school. This scholarship is available to both community college and four year bound students.

The Darryl Usher Student Athlete Scholarship

Darryl Usher was not only a record-setting athlete in his time at San Mateo and the University of Illinois, but he was also an outstanding teammate at these two institutions, and later in the National Football League (N.F.L.). With an infectious smile, a brave spirit, a magnetic personality, and natural leadership abilities, it is no surprise that this Class of ’83 Bearcat left a lasting impact everywhere he went. Even in his final moments, he continued to exhibit that brave spirit, sacrificing his own life in an attempt to save another. The Darryl Usher Student Athlete Scholarship commemorates a senior who brought that same team-first attitude to the football field and who positively impacted others by knowing him. 

Wada Memorial Scholarship

The Wada Memorial Scholarship provides aid to a student who has demonstrated interest in pursuing a future in the automotive or graphic design industry and is open to both community college and four year bound students.

James Lee Memorial Scholarship Fund

James Lee was a star athlete who excelled in the pool at San Mateo High School. This scholarship commemorates a senior athlete who has not only shined at water polo and/or swimming, but also in the classroom and in leadership. 

Naiyareh Karimimanesh Memorial Scholarship

Selected by her graduating class as the student who “contributed the most,” Nai was known for the joy she brought to those around her and for the way she embraced the diversity of her classmates. A 1997 graduate of San Mateo High School, Nai was a beloved classmate who always shined Bearcat spirit. A member of the basketball team, the marching band, and active in helping the community, Nai was also great at her studies and encouraging to those around her. Today, the scholarship recognizes a senior from each graduating class who exhibits Nai’s spirit in the San Mateo hallways. 

Jenny Morris Memorial Scholarship

A Class of 2013 graduate, Jenny Morris was a talented singer who had a passion for making music with others. She had a welcoming personality full of compassion and respect for her fellow students and singers. In college, she continued to share her love of singing with the world and videos of her singing are still generating views online. The Jenny Morris Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a senior actively involved with choir who best represents Jenny’s spirit.

Dan Stone Memorial

Dan Stone was an assistant principal at San Mateo High School for several years. This scholarship awards a student who shares many of Dan’s great traits: a fun sense of humor, an outstanding friend that you can always count on, and someone who will always bring a smile to those nearby.

Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund

Coming of age during a decade of tremendous social activism and growth, the Class of 1969 found their voice in advocating for compassion, understanding, and equality for all. This spirit of caring continues today with a yearly scholarship providing two graduating seniors with financial assistance to pursue their college dreams.

Class of 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Scholarships

Following in the footsteps of alumni before them, some of our recent graduating classes have donated remaining class funds into scholarships for future Bearcats. These scholarships have helped seniors who have demonstrated collegiate potential and encompass the Bearcat spirit.