Sun Life rewards at-risk youngsters

Twenty-two lucky youngsters from across the country, recipients of scholarships from Sun Life Financial Inc., were able to rub elbows with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess and tennis star Venus Williams last weekend. The kids, each of whom won $5,000 for college, and 22 nonprofit organizations, which each won $50,000, were the guests of honor at the Sun Life Rising Star Awards National Summit at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Friday and Saturday. Non-profit groups also convened at the summit to discuss ways to improve low high school graduation rates. The 22 kids were first nominated by local nonprofits based in Boston, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and South Florida. Sun Life invited the students to enter the National Sun Life Rising Star essay competition for a shot at winning $50,000 toward tuition. Entrants had to describe how their life experiences shaped their ambitions, describe their plans to succeed in college and offer practical advice to other at-risk students. Out of that group, San Diego's Priscilla Elizalde, a freshman at San Jose State University, was chosen as the winner. “It's not hard for someone to follow the wrong footsteps, especially when only exposed to negativity,” she wrote in her entry. “I decided I wouldn't allow myself to follow in the same footsteps of those who opted not to continue with higher education. Consequently, their actions have given me the strength to believe in myself,” Ms. Elizalde said.