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Scholars Get Means to Make Their Mark: Two San Juan Students Are Among Buck Award Winners.

Posted on: Thursday, 8 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Bill Lindelof, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jun. 8--Encina High School senior Sikandar Gul works at Arby's as a cashier, at times using his fast-food earnings to help his mother pay the rent.

His family has depended on public assistance to get by for more than a decade, Gul said. In the fall, he plans to attend University of California, Davis, and obtain a degree in biology, or perhaps medicine.

He can work toward that degree because he was one of 14 Northern California students to be awarded Frank H. Buck scholarships. The Buck awards pay for tuition, room and board and other expenses.

"I was shocked," he said. "I had never won anything of that immensity."

Two Frank H. Buck scholarship winners are San Juan Unified School District students -- Gul and Mira Loma High School's Dipika Gopal. A third Buck award went to Rola Abduljabar, who attends New Technology High School in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Few scholarships provide as much help as the Buck. The "full-ride" awards provide college students with enough money to earn a bachelor's degree and also pay for advanced degrees.

For example, Buck scholarships have paid for the education of students through medical school or law school. Eight of the 14 Buck winners this year are heading to colleges in the University of California system.

Through the years, two colleges have been heavily attended by Buck winners:

"It's a tossup between Harvard and Stanford as to who has the most Buck scholars at the moment," said Robert Walker, executive director of the Buck Foundation.

Established in 1989, the Buck scholarship is awarded to students who have earned good grades, have many interests and give to their school and community.

This year, 900 scholarship applications were received.

To apply, students must be residents of one of the six counties represented by the late Frank H. Buck when he served in Congress -- Yolo, Napa, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Solano and Sacramento. Eva Buck set up a foundation to administer the scholarships in memory of her late husband.

Among the hurdles applicants must surmount are an interview and an essay. The essay question this year asked finalists to choose one person and place them in a particular time period.

Gul, 18, chose James Madison, the nation's fourth president and an integral part of the Constitution's formation.

"I placed Madison in present-day America to show him how democracy had turned out," Gul said. "While not perfect, I'm sure he would be happy with how things are going now."

Gul said his financial need probably was one reason he was selected. His parents, both from Pakistan, split up when he was age 2.

"My family has been on welfare for 16 years," he said.

Gul, who credits friends and teachers for his success, said he has the ability to grasp concepts.

Walker, executive director of the Buck Foundation, said Gul was impressive "because he has overcome a lot of adversity, and he must work long hours to support his family, yet he has done incredibly well academically."

As for Gopal, San Juan Unified's other Buck recipient, Walker said she follows in a long line of Buck scholars from Mira Loma.

Gopal volunteers for good causes, has been a solid athlete and an excellent musician, and is involved in Indian classical dance and vocal music, he said.

Gopal, 17, was excited when she learned she was a Buck winner. She wants to go to University of California, San Diego.

"I plan to do a neuroscience major and music major as well," said Gopal, a student in Mira Loma's rigorous International Baccalaureate program.

"Mira Loma has given me so much," she said. "Compared to other schools, the teachers are so much more involved with the students. They really care."

Her parents were born in India -- her mother is a physical therapist and her father a chemical engineer. She chose Mahatma Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India, as her Buck essay subject.

"I chose to take a walk in the garden with him and to just ask him different questions about life," she said. "I asked questions -- how he views different people, how he views accomplishments and failures and how he was able to start a revolution without violence."

Walker said Sacramento City Unified's Abduljabar also is impressive. She immigrated to the United States speaking Arabic.

She has mastered English and done extremely well in school. Her father owns cell phone stores here and overseas, and her mother takes care of the household.

Born in Damascus, Syria, Abduljabar lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for nine years before coming to the United States as a fifth-grader. She attended Lisbon Elementary and Sam Brannan Middle schools.

Abduljabar, who is heavily involved in student leadership on a statewide level, is her school's yearbook editor and was youth leader of Annur Islamic Center.

Her essay for the Buck judges did not feature a famous person. Instead, she selected her grandfather, a judge in Syria.

"I wanted to choose somebody I really want to spend time with -- and that was my grandpa," she said. "He has so much wisdom, so many lessons he could teach me. Any moment with him is enlightening."

Abduljabar will attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she will major in molecular cell biology with an emphasis in genetics. She wants a minor in Middle Eastern studies.

"Also, I want to graduate as a pre-med student so I can move on to medical school," she said. "I either want to be a plastic surgeon or neurologist."

Others selected were Brian Batugo of Edison High School in Stockton, Brenden Benson of Winters High School in Yolo County, Duyen Bui of Franklin High School in Elk Grove, Tam "Eric" Nguyen of Franklin High School, John Chan of Armijo High School in Fairfield, Tracey Davis of River City High School in West Sacramento, Lalithra Fernando of El Cerrito High School in Contra Costa County, Maria Garcia of Pioneer High School in Woodland, Tanvir Kapoor of Davis High School in Yolo County, Serena Yeung of Davis High School and Kevin Zhou of Monte Vista High School in Danville, Contra Costa County.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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