May 8, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Trost) RE:  FIVE SAN DIEGO STUDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS Five San Diego City Schools seniors have been named recipients of $2,000 scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Recipients are Tiffany Bloomfield from Serra High School; Erich Eminhizer, Scripps Ranch; Brett Florio, Point Loma; Ishwara Glassman, Patrick Henry, and Edward Koster, La Jolla High. They are among 2,200 seniors from throughout the country to receive scholarships in the second round of awards made each year by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.  Edgar Milik from University City High School was named a recipient of a corporate-sponsored scholarship last month.  Later in May, NMSC will announce the recipients of college-sponsored merit scholarships. Winners of the $2,000 scholarships are named in every state, in numbers proportional to the state’s percentage of the total of graduating seniors in the country.  A student qualifies for consideration by taking two exams, demonstrating leadership and significant contributions to the school and community, writing essays about his or her interests and goals and submitting a recommendation from the high school principal.  Since 1955, when the program was established, 377 City Schools seniors have received scholarships from NMSC. Tiffany Bloomfield has an interest in biological research and was a valedictorian at Serra.  She is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction and a four-year member of the California Scholastic Federation. Erich Eminhizer, a valedictorian at Scripps Ranch, plans a career in engineering.  He has won many awards as a musician and received the Stanford and Phi Beta Kappa book awards. Brett Florio was a valedictorian at Point Loma and is interested in a career in medicine or medical research.  He played varsity tennis, was a member of the school’s academic league team and was selected for the UCSD Early Acceptance Honors Program. Ishwara Glassman plans a career in law or politics.  She is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a published poet.  She was captain of the school’s academic league team, a member of the school’s science Olympiad team and valedictorian. Edward Koster is an AP Scholar and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.  He played badminton for the schools four years and was a member of the cross country team two years.  Edward was a member of the academic league team and math team and was selected as a valedictorian.