Presentation's Wiedlin among eight athletes to win REACH Scholarship
Player overcame physical obstacles
By Dick Sparrer
Sara Wiedlin nailed down many victories during her outstanding softball career at Presentation High School.
And she finished her high school career with one final victory when she was one of eight athletes in the Santa Clara Valley to win a REACH Youth Scholarship.
The scholarships, supported by the San Jose Sports Authority and NEC Electronics, are presented annually to deserving student-athletes who have overcome adversity to succeed in athletics.
Wiedlin was born with a heart defect that required two difficult surgeries, but still managed to be successful on the diamond for the Panthers. And for her heroic efforts, the Presentation senior was presented a $500 scholarship.
Celebrities serving as co-chairpersons for the fourth annual REACH Youth Scholarship program included Ronnie Lott, the former San Francisco 49er who is a recent inductee in the Football Hall of Fame; Jim Plunkett, a former Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford and a Super Bowl most valuable player for the Raiders; and Jenny Thompson, an Olympic gold medalist in swimming. Steve Shields of the San Jose Sharks was another co-chair, but was unable to attend because of the Sharks' participation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hirokazu Hashimoto, the president and CEO of NEC Electronics, Inc. was also on hand for the presentation for the REACH scholarships, which stands for "recognizing excellence, adversity, courage and hard work."
The scholarship competition is open to athletes from all high schools in the Santa Clara Valley, and students were required to submit essays describing how they have overcome adversity.
Hard work and determination helped Wiedlin overcome her physical obstacle, and she performed well enough in her senior season to help the Panthers get into the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Wiedlin was among eight scholarship winners in the program. Others included Eric Bembry of Leigh, Jose Juarez of Yerba Buena, Haley Champion of Palo Alto, Emily Levy of Live Oak, Jennifer Villanueva of Wilcox, Elvira Garcia of Silver Creek and Michael Gilbert of St. Francis.
Schools participating in the REACH Youth Scholarship program this year were Andrew Hill, Cupertino, Fremont, Gilroy, Leigh, Live Oak, Lincoln, Mitty, Oak Grove, Overfelt, Palo Alto, Presentation, Santa Clara, Santa Teresa, Silver Creek, St. Francis, Wilcox and Yerba Buena.
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