Five Alameda high school teens have been awarded college scholarships through their participation in Girls Inc. of the Island City (GIIC).

Elvira Lu, Annie Liu, and Iris Phillips have been named Girls Inc. National Scholars. As National Scholars, Lu will receive the $25,000 Suzanne Patmore Gibbs Courage scholarship, while Liu and Phillips will receive the $20,000 Lucille Miller Wright scholarship. In addition, through the generosity of an anonymous GIIC board member and their spouse, three scholarships have been awarded to Jenna Chan, Meron Ephrem, and Phillips. Each teen will receive a $20,000 Serendipity Fund scholarship.

“We are very proud of each scholarship awardee,” said Maria Tijerino-Lew, Teen Program Director at GIIC. “We look forward to seeing what other amazing goals each will accomplish.”

The awards were based on academic achievements, community service, and dedication to the mission of inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

Lu is a senior at Alameda High School (AHS) and a graduate of the Eureka! program. Lu will attend the University of Southern California’s (USC’s) Iovine and Young Academy.

Liu is a junior at Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC) and has participated in several GIIC programs including Eureka!, Ethical Fashion Show, and Generation Giga Girls.

Phillips is a senior at Encinal High School (EHS) completing her fifth year in the Eureka! Program. She will attend St. Olaf College in Minnesota and major in nursing, with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.

Chan, a senior at AHS, will attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she plans to study bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, or computer science.

Ephrem is a senior at EHS and another graduate of Eureka! She is co-president of the Black Student Union at EHS. She will attend UC Irvine and major in physics or the physical sciences.