The The Stephen T. Marchello Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation that gives scholarships to current year High School Graduates in the states of AZ, CA, CO, and MT who have survived childhood cancer. If you have any questions about our scholarship program for cancer survivors, please email us at fmarchello@earthlink.net, Tax deductible contributions can be made at any First Bank Branch, or sent to First Bank of Arapahoe County, Attn: Monica Watts, 2323 E. Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80122.

2003 Scholarship Recipients

• Nicole Van Woensel, who graduated from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO is the winner of a four year $10,000 scholarship. She will be attending Kansas State University. At the age of fourteen Nicole was diagnosed with a malignant fibrous histiocytoma. She had to undergo an extensive resection of the cancer, which included most of the scalp on the posterior aspect of her head. This then required extensive reconstruction of the scalp with multiple flaps.
  
  Nicole worked part time during high school. She is involved in community projects, sings in her church choir and is an active member of the dramatic arts group at Bear Creek High School.

• Siriwardana Tharanga who will be graduating from Grandview High School in Aurora, CO is the winner of a one time $2,000 scholarship grant. Tharanga will be attending the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. At the age of two he was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor in his kidney. Sixteen years ago treatment was both experimental and expensive. He lost a kidney and underwent several months of chemotherapy. He will be the first in his family to go to college. His mother has also become a cancer survivor.
  
  At Grandview High School, Tharanga worked as as assistant in the Web Design class to help other student integrate technology into their class assignments. He also worked as a student assistant for an American Literature class at Grandview High School. Tharanga did volunteer work at Children's Hospital and The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In order to expand his interest in the medical field he accompanied a Denver paramedic service on emergencies calls.

• April Russo, a graduate of Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs, CO is the winner of a one time $2,000 scholarship grant. April will be continuing her education at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. At the age of 6 she was diagnosed and treated for a WIlm's Tumor. She underwent a right nephrectomy and twenty-two months of chemotherapy.
  
  April was vice president of National Honor Society, president of the Astronomy Club, participated in Knowledge Bowl, is a member of the Jazz and Pep Band, and played soccer. She also was the advertising manager for the Sand Creek High School newspaper, and helped raise money for Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Leukemia, and Breast Cancer research.

• Kara Flook, a graduate of Poudre High School in Fort Collins is the winner of a $1,000 one time scholarship grant. She will be attending Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma in the fall of her sophomore year of high school. During her sophomore year because of her treatment Kara was unable to attend school after October. She was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program and because there were no homebound teacher with the skills to teach at that level, Kara was here own teacher and completed courses in math, German, English, and History.
  
  Kara has been involved in church, 4-H and promotion of childhood cancer awareness. She volunteered at a local elementary school. Kara also initiated a "dress drive" in an effort to collect special occasion dresses for homeless teens.

• Elyse Mason, a graduate of Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, CO is the winner of a $1,000 one time scholarship grant. She will be attending CU of Denver, in Denver, CO. Elyse is a survivor of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia which was diagnosed in 1987.
  
  Elyse worked as a volunteer student assistant at the Dakota Ridge High School library. She participated in school clubs such as Kiwanis Key Club and National Honors Society. She also worked as a tutor for local elementary children.

• Nathan Salley, a graduate of Faith Christian High School in Arvada, CO is the winner of a $1,000 one time scholarship grant. He will be attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Nathan is a two time survivor of Leukemia. He was first diagnosed with Leukemia in March 1997. His cancer reoccurred two year later. He underwent a cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor. His post-transplant course included a number of significant complications including graft versus host disease, infections, lung problems and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
  
  Nathan was on the Faith Christian Academy varsity soccer team. He assumed a leadership roll for many school activities and with his soccer team. He was also very active with his youth church group.

• Jennifer Beiner, a graduate of Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, CO is the winner of a $1,000 one time scholarship grant. She will be attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Jennifer was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma during her junior year of high school.
  
  Jennifer was captain of the Air Academy High School swim team. She continued swimming between rounds of chemotherapy. She spent her spring break and summer break finishing courses she was not able to finish during her treatments. As a swimmer, Jennifer has won more state titles and holds more records than any swimmer in the history of Colorado swimming.

Four Year Scholarship Recipient

• Nicole Van Woensel, graduated from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO. She is a junior at Kansas State University. She was diagnosed at the age of fourteen with a malignant fibrous histiocytoma. She underwent an extensive resection of the cancer, which included most of the scalp on the posterior aspect of her head. This then required extensive reconstruction of the scalp with multiple flaps. Nicole worked part time during high school. She was involved in community projects, sang in her church choir, and was an active member of the dramatic arts group at Bear Creek High School.

View 2006 scholarship recipients
View 2005 scholarship recipients
View 2004 scholarship recipients
View 2002 scholarship recipients
View 2001 scholarship recipients

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