PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP: Saratoga High grad Ankur Luthra recently won a Soros Fellowship, one of the most prestigious fellowships in the country, worth some $70,000 over two years of graduate study in the U.S. This is the first time a Saratoga High alum has won the award.
Similar to a Rhodes Scholarship, a Soros Fellowship draws more than 1,000 applicants. Then 84 are interviewed and 30 winners selected. Besides achieving a straight-A record (more than half were A+), Luthra founded a nonprofit called Computer Literacy 4 Kids.
That organization helps underprivileged students all over the world obtain computers, software and hardware. Luthra has also designed computer and artificial-intelligence technology, started a dot.com company and worked for Microsoft as a program manager.
This achiever is now studying for a master's in computer science at Oxford, and he'll pursue an MBA at Harvard this fall. He has bachelor's degrees from UC-Berkeley in electrical engineering/computer science and in business administration.
At Berkeley, he was awarded the University Medal, given to the most outstanding student in the graduating class of 7,000 students. He also gave the commencement keynote speech with Clinton's chief of staff, Leon Panetta. He is the son of Ravi and Tripta Luthra, originally from the Punjab State in India.
Luthra's long-term goal is to start a company that focuses on technology that solves societal problems, not simply improves productivity. Examples would be creating counter-terrorism software for the government or robotics assistants and intelligent body parts for the disabled.
NO TIME FOR PLAY?: State-mandated academic assessments are crowding out playtimes for kindergartners these days is the lament of the National Kindergarten Alliance, a group that met recently in Saratoga. Anna Rainville is a member of the board, the chairwoman of the group's grants and scholarships.
In Georgia, new schools are being built without playgrounds; in some schools, recess has been eliminated. This is a frightening trend for those who teach young children, because these educators are well aware of the importance of play in the healthy development of children.
In make believe, a child's imagination and creativity are enlarged. Emotional problems can even be resolved because children can control outcomes, unlike in the structure imposed by adults on the rest of their lives. Studies show that confidence, sociability and decision-making are all enhanced with child-initiated play.
With serendipitous timing, Betty Peck's book, Kindergarten Education: Freeing children's creative potential, is just out from Hawthorne Press. It's available at Waldorf schools. Peck is Rainville's mother.
JAPANTOWN HISTORY: Jimi Yamaichi, a volunteer at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, presented a slide show about the history of San Jose's Japantown at the latest Saratoga Sister City meeting. Many of the temples and stores built early in the century still look remarkably the same.
Granted, they've had a new coat of paint or two since then. Reiko Iwanaga, whose grandparents owned a laundry in downtown San Jose, is a Sister City board member, and her parents were in several of the slides. Her dad started the first judo club in Japantown. And her parents were the second couple married at the newly built temple in 1937. The temple is next door to the museum, which is located at 535 N. Fifth St. The museum is open daily, 10 a.m.3 p.m., except Saturday and Monday.
The slides shown traced the enthusiasms of Japantown residents, from 1890 on. These interests included baseball, sumi, applebox derbies, silent movies and the Salvation Army, which served as a gathering place. Instead of a pianist, the silent movies shown had a Japanese translator to accompany the silents.
On a related subject, the Saratoga library's book group's members will discuss Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama when they meet April 12 at 7:30 p.m. Marty Clevenger is the leader.
RIVERS OF CHOCOLATE: Las Madres members, a group of young mothers who help with fundraisers, are among the organizers for this year's Rivers of Chocolate at the Mountain Winery April 18, 15 p.m. Cathie Watson-Short is event chairwoman. Monte Serenan Erica Mittlehauser is chairwoman of participants.
Erica and Jon Mittlehauser are partners of The Basin in Saratoga. Other locals involved in the planning include Julie Sheng and Julia Schiff of Los Gatos, Siri Lackovic of Monte Sereno, Rachel Cruz of Saratoga, plus Jennie Picraux. This crew is assembling auction items, food, wine, music and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.
Local businesses participating are Confections by Hsing and Kid in a Candy Store of Los Gatos and Cooper-Garrod Winery, Plumed Horse, Viaggio Ristorante, Sent Sovi, Gervais and The Basin in Saratoga. Rivers of Chocolate, with a Napa River theme this year, is a fundraiser for Social Advocates for Youth.
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By Mary Ann Cook