For Julia Davila and Morgan Meik, all the years of hard work paid off last week. The two Corcoran High School seniors were the latest pair to earn the coveted Col. James G. Boswell Scholarship, providing a huge boost on their pathway to college success.
This year marks the 60th annual presentation of the prestigious scholarships, Davila and Meik will be able to attend any college or university in the continental United States, with tuition paid up to $25,000 a year under terms of the generous award.
The awards were announced during a special dinner last week. Davila and Meik emerged from a strong competitive field to take the wins.
With a grade point average of 4.196, Julia is ranked third in her graduating class. She scored a total of 1800 on her Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a college entry exam, and also has a long list of extra-curricular activities.
She competed in soccer as a sophomore and junior and this year was a member of the CHS cross country team. She also spent two years as the cross county team manager and is a four-year manager of the high school’s track and field team.
Julia is a four-year member of the California Scholastic Federation (CSF) and represents the CHS student body at local school board meetings. She was a member of the MEChA Club three years, and has been in the Interact Club the past three years. For the past two years, she has also competed as a member of the Academic Decathlon team.
Julia is secretary of the Spanish Club this year; she is a member of the showcase committee as part of Student Voice. She has participated in Talent Search for the past four years and has been a volunteer for the Panther Academic Winners program.
Julia is a Hugh O’Brien Youth leadership representative, has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and is a volunteer at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Corcoran.
She is a young woman who knows exactly where she wants to go and what she wants to do. She has known since the fifth grade.
“My fifth grade teacher knew I did not like to read, so she introduced me to science and math books, because I was good in those subjects. I found a book on the solar system and got hooked,” she said.
Then, coincidentally, Julia entered a pumpkin carving contest at school and won a prize: of all things, a telescope! She said she got scared the first time she saw the moon up close, but that pretty much sealed the deal. From them on, she wanted to study astrology.
She’s looking for good astrology programs and has applied to Harvard, the University of Chicago, UCLA, Berkeley and Cal Lutheran, among others. After studying astronomy, Julia hopes to use her degree to go to work for NASA.
She is the daughter of Virginia and Elvar Davila of Corcoran.
Right behind Davila, Meik is ranked fourth in his graduating class, with a gpa of 4.18. His best cumulative score on the SAT was a 1830.
Morgan is a four-year letterman on the swim team, this year serving as captain. He has also won multiple awards, including most improved, Golden Panther and MVP. He qualified for Valley competition the past three years.
This year, he also competed as a member of the cross country team.
He’s a four-year member of CSF and UC Merced’s Talent Search, and has spent three years in both Interact and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). He is a two-year member of the Photography Club, serving as vice president this year, and of the Student Voice.
Outside school, Morgan is a longtime member of Boy Scouts of America program, earning his Eagle Scout rank. He is an American Red Cross-certified lifeguard who has worked on the Santa Fe Trail service project in Visalia and the Raisin Relief Project in Madera. He provides weekly Spanish translation assistance and respite care for a child with severe disabilities. He has also worked on several videography projects.
Meik has already been accepted at Brigham Young University, where he plans to enter in the fall with an undeclared major. He said he hopes to major in finance and wants to work in a management capacity for a non-profit organization specializing in developing countries.
Morgan is the son of Angela and Kindon Meik of Corcoran.
