Turn-Around Scholarships

Turn Around Scholarship – An Alternate Path to Success

by Chip Koehler, Past Lt. Governor of CNH Division 12, 2021-2022

News Flash ... 1968. The East San Jose Kiwanis Club initiates a new scholarship program aimed at college bound high school students. But this one is different. It’s not for the highly academic student who is tops in their class nor is for the most athletic student who scored more touchdowns than any student before them. In fact, this scholarship is for those students who have pulled themselves from a disastrous path leading to a gloomy future and not to college. They call it “Turn Around Scholarship”.

The East San Jose Kiwanis Club* is in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of 12 clubs in Division 12 of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District. Scholarships abound for students in this academic rich area where high tech meets academia. But not all graduating students in the Silicon Valley have a clear path to college. Personal hardships exist for some. Their grades suffer. The risk of dropping out weighs heavy on many students. But some students say “enough! ... I’m not going to fail ... I am going to find a way, graduate from high school, further my education, and succeed”.

The Kiwanis Turn Around Scholarship (TAS) Program provides that path through scholarships for graduating at-risk high school seniors for their continuing education, which may be junior college, university, or trade school. These students often began their high school career confronting serious personal problems, such as substance abuse, addiction, abusive parents or guardians, poverty, homelessness, or a devastating illness. TAS recipients are courageous young people, who have overcome these obstacles, are graduating, and want to pursue their life and career dreams through continuing education and career training.

Michael Hobson is one recipient of a Turn Around Scholarship. As an eighth grader Michael was expelled from school but eventually was readmitted to high school. The disruption in his life had a lasting
impact. But he persisted on,

graduated, and received a Turn Around Scholarship. He got his college degree and started working in the restaurant business where he started as a dishwasher and eventually became the owner of two restaurants. One of those restaurants is Rookies Sports Lodge in San Jose where the Kiwanis Club of Willow Glen holds their regular club meetings. Michael says “somebody out there knew about mychange and cared. That somebody was Kiwanis and they gave me the opportunity to shine that light back on them”.

Another touching story involved a student from Saratoga High School

who really touched the hearts of the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club. She had missed over a year of school due to cancer. Her grades tanked and she suffered from depression. With the help of her family, school counselors, and doctors she not only beat the odds and got rid of the cancer, but she also bounced back with great grades and was able to graduate with her peers. She was so thrilled to be honored with a Turn Around Scholarship and go to college with a very bright future!

Turn Around Scholarship all got started by Kiwanian William Baker who was the Deputy Superintendent of the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) and a member of the East San Jose Kiwanis Club. Mr. Baker realized there are students that were ineligible for academic scholarships because of their earlier poor grades and resultant impact on their overall grade point average. That was in 1967. The following year, the East San Jose Kiwanis Club granted seven (7) Turn Around Scholarships, one to a student in each of the East San Jose High School District high schools. Soon, the Kiwanis Club of San Jose Foundation joined the effort to help raise additional scholarship money for more scholarships.

Division 12 Kiwanis Clubs send out Turn Around Scholarship application packages to the principal or counselor at the schools in their area who are requested to select one or more graduating seniors who are planning to go to college and who overcame some hardship or obstacle in their high school career. Usually, these students had a difficult time getting good grades, fell behind, but were able to “turn around” and they are now graduating. Normally the student would be ineligible to receive other scholarships because of their poor scholastic start in high school.

Then the Kiwanis Clubs evaluate the candidates who applied for a Turn Around Scholarship and they choose their recipients. Marsha Badella, who chairs the TAS Committee for the Kiwanis Club of Fremont said “It’s often a nearly impossible decision. Reading the applications can be a very emotional experience as the stories are so touching how the applicants lifted themselves up from being a gang-member, homelessness, living in a car, had a life-threatening illness, or were victims of abuse. You wish the funds were available so every applicant could be a recipient. Our applicants are often referred to as ‘at-risk’ youth, but we like to think of these incredible young people more accurately as ‘at-promise’ youth.”

Once the clubs decide their
recipients then most clubs
hold a Turn Around
Scholarship Luncheon or
Dinner and award the
scholarships to the recipients
who often are accompanied
by their parents, principal,
counselor, or another adult of
significance in their life. The
recipients are given the
opportunity to share their
hardship experiences and
subsequent turn around and tell what or who made the difference in their success. Often, we learn that their Turn Around Scholarship is the biggest recognition, sometimes the only recognition, these students have ever received. Often there are few dry eyes in the audience as these students tell their story. As Kiwanians we feel very proud and thankful for the opportunity to support and recognize these students and give them a boost on their next step toward success – college!!!

Over the years additional fundraising efforts have expanded the program significantly. In 1996 the program was invigorated by the late Leo M. Shortino. Mr. Shortino grew up in San Jose during the Great Depression and was a poor academic student until the 8th grade. His mother was told by his teachers that it was a waste of time sending Leo to school. Frustrated with this, Leo turned his own life around, graduated from Bellarmine High School in San Jose, was accepted to and graduated from San Jose State University and he became a teacher and later a school principal. Once he learned of the Turn Around Scholarship program, he quickly identified with the students it helps and he graciously began using his personal financial resources to help them. Mr. Shortino’s foundation has steadily increased its annual donation originally from $2,500 to $80,000 per year now. Now, all 12 Kiwanis Clubs of Division 12 participate in the Scholarship Program. Collectively, the clubs of Division 12 have an annual goal to provide $225,000 scholarships to college bound students who were once at risk. Sadly, Mr. Shortino passed away in 2004 but his support of Turn Around Scholarship lives on.

Division 12 has made the Turn Around Scholarship Benefit into a premier social event too. For many years they held a wine and appetizer social for over 500 guests to raise the money for the scholarships through ticket sales, prize raffles, and silent auctions. The COVID-years impacted the possibility of large gatherings but in 2022 the Division held an outdoor bar-b-que and wine tasting instead – it was a huge success too with many Division 12 Kiwanians coming together for the first time since COVID to renew friendships across their division and to raise money for this outstanding program.

Today, the Kiwanis Turn Around Scholarship
(TAS) Program is a 501(C)(3) non-profit
corporation (EIN#77-0242010). It raises funds
for scholarships for students from over 50 high schools in 10 different school districts throughout Division 12’s boundaries in Silicon Valley. The TAS Program annually awards over $220,000 to over 170 students. Many of these students are often the first in their family to graduate from high school and go on to college. Winners are also offered a mentorship relationship with a Kiwanis member, and

encouraged to reapply annually for follow-on scholarships to fund their continuing education. Typically, a scholarship is $1,500 per recipient per year.

Sponsorships for the TAS Program are always appreciated. Cash sponsorships and donations for the silent auction of sports memorabilia and other items are greatly appreciated as they generate the needed funds for scholarships.

If you would like to help this inspirational program or if your Kiwanis Club would like more information on starting a program like this, please contact the Kiwanis Club of San Jose Foundation, P.O. Box 6684, San Jose, Ca. 95150, (408) 867-1701, or (408) 393-4071.

* The Kiwanis Club of East San Jose and the Kiwanis Club of San Jose merged in 2022 as one club

In May of 2023, we honored 10 graduating seniors from Los Gatos & Saratoga with $1500 scholarships for rising above their hardships and turning their lives around.  They made us laugh, they made us cry, and overall, they made every single person there who heard their story very proud and happy that they shared it with us.

Our event was not only sold-out, at the wonderful restaurant "The Wine Cellar" in Los Gatos, but we were honored to have several dignitaries in attendance.  Our very own Mike Wasserman emcee'd (Mike is a former Mayor of Los Gatos and President of the Santa Clara county Board of Supervisors) and announced everyone, from local Mayors to School Superintendents, teachers, counselors and principals, to our regional trustee and even our Kiwanis International President!  

It truly was a wonderful day.

We can all feel confident that the future is bright, with these young, intelligent, caring kids going out into the world to make their mark.  They definitely made their mark on our hearts!