Peninsula's Kyla Borders, Gig Harbor's Hannah Long Win Comcast Scholarships

Kyla L. Borders, a senior at Peninsula High School, and Hannah C. Long, a senior at Gig Harbor High School, are among the 90 recipients of the Comcast Foundation’s annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program awards in Washington State, the Foundation has announced. Among Borders’ past and present achievements: serving as student body president, participating in several sports including a role as co-captain of the varsity golf team and co-captain of the basketball team, and volunteering for Relay for Life, Winterfest and S.A.V.E Thrift shop. She’s the first high school student to receive a Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award. At the time the school nominated her for the award, Borders was planning to pursue pre-med studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. Among Long’s past and present achievements: volunteering for Relay for Life, Gig Harbor United Methodist Church Youth Group and Harbor Covenant Church Youth Group and serving as president of the Interact Club and co-captain of the cross-country team. For her senior project, Long volunteered for Little Dresses for Africa, which sends dresses that are sewn from pillowcases to little girls in Africa, Haiti and other places in the world where girls have very little to call their own. Many Her awards include National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. At the time the school nominated her for the scholarship, Long was planning to study civil engineering at Cornell University. The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program provides $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community. “Each year, we are excited to provide scholarships for these talented students,” said Charisse R. Lillie, president of the Comcast Foundation and vice president, Community Investment of Comcast Corp. “Comcast seeks students who demonstrate leadership abilities in school activities and who reflect a strong commitment to community service. These students are our future leaders, and we hope these scholarships will help to power their dreams for success.”