Introducing Elaine Huffman, recipient of the 2006 Jason Choy Memorial Scholarship.

Elaine, an honor roll student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School grew up in Jason’s hometown of Bowie, MD. This fall she will matriculate at Virginia Tech where she plans to major in civil engineering.

Elaine has already received a number of awards recognizing her academic achievements. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, and was selected for this year’s Principal’s Award at ERHS.

Elaine enjoys music and theatre a great deal and was very active with the drama department while at ERHS, both on the stage and behind. She has lent a hand to several of the school’s drama productions as a member of the backstage crew, and has appeared in three musicals, most recently this spring when she donned a yellow outfit to play a Who, presumably from Whoville, for the school’s production of Seussical the Musical. When asked about her favorite high school memory, Elaine said of being involved with the drama department, “I love the feeling of community that builds throughout the crazy months that the shows are being put together, and then the rush when it all comes together at the last second.”

In addition to her classwork and her involvement in theatre, Elaine has (somehow) found time to fit voice lessons, church choir rehearsals and a Girl Scout Gold Award into her hectic schedule. She also enjoys other activities as diverse as reading, biking and rubber stamping. High school appears to have been a busy time for Elaine indeed.

Looking forward, Elaine is excited to be starting college, but will certainly miss the comforts of home - like her father’s grilled chicken strips, her pet fish, and spending time with her youngest cousins.

Elaine’s decision to major in civil engineering was borne of a larger goal to make a positive change in the world. She hopes a degree in civil engineering will lead to a better future not just for herself, but for the community she lives in as well. When asked where she sees herself in 10 years, Elaine responded, “I hope to be working as a successful civil engineer, designing new ways to improve people's quality of life.”

All of us on the scholarship committee feel that the first Jason Choy Memorial Scholarship could not have gone to a better person. We would like to congratulate Elaine on all of her achievements and we hope she will keep us informed of the many more that await her in her bright future.