Celebrating Our 22nd Annual “Excellence in Education” Scholarship Winners: Clara Jeong and Cole White

Every year, Cascadia Eye awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who have shown exceptional academic achievements, well-rounded extracurricular interests and a commitment to giving back to their communities. This year, we are thrilled to announce Clara Jeong, Skagit/N Snohomish Co and Cole White, Whidbey/Island Co as the recipients of our two $1,500 22nd  Annual 2024 “Excellence in Education" scholarships.

Clara Jeong's story is one of remarkable resilience. Clara, who immigrated from South Korea to Anacortes in the second grade, faced one of the most challenging periods of her life during her freshman year of high school when her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Her mother’s illness progressed rapidly, and Clara had to endure the pain of losing her mother during a critical time in her life.

Despite immense personal challenges, Clara excelled in her academic pursuits. She channeled her grief and anxiety into a driving force for success. She strengthened her relationship with her father and focused on her studies, achieving an impressive GPA.

Beyond her academic excellence, Clara was deeply involved as an award-winning artist, a musician participating in wind ensemble and jazz band, and even took on leadership roles in student government. Her teacher, Mr. Andrich, praised her as one of the top students in his classes, noting her strong commitment, organizational skills, and passion for the arts.

In her scholarship essay, Clara expressed her desire to study psychology at USC and revolutionize the mental healthcare industry. She aims to help people heal, using the insights she has learned from her personal trials to help her make a significant impact in people's lives.

Cole White impressed our review committee with his outstanding ability to manage a 4.0 GPA with a full class schedule including AP and college prep courses and participate in extensive charitable and other extracurricular activities.

Cole’s future plans include Civil Engineering studies and ROTC training at Gonzaga, with a goal to not only create a new future for himself but to help design and create construction projects, develop infrastructure, and support disaster relief efforts.

During high school, Cole not only played three varsity sports each year, he also spent countless hours volunteering in a local kindergarten class, coached and refereed local youth sports, and served on the worship team at his church.

If you would like more information on our eye care professionals, or if you would like to schedule a consultation at our practice, please visit our website at www.cascadiaeye.com or contact Cascadia Eye at marketing@ncascade.com or 360-424-2020.