California Association of Collectors Announces Scholarship Winners at Banquet

The California Association of Collectors Educational Scholarship Foundation (CACESF) held its fourth annual scholarship banquet on April 21, 2009 at The Hyatt Regency in Sacramento. In 2005, the California Association of Collectors, Inc. (CAC) founded the Educational Scholarship Foundation which awards academic scholarships to California High School seniors who write an essay on The Importance of Establishing and Maintaining Good Credit During Your College Years. This year, CAC received a record-breaking 600 essays, more than double from last year.

The three finalists were selected by a group of volunteers who read each and every essay that was submitted. Each finalist came to Sacramento along with a parent to read their essay in front of CAC members, Senator George Runner, Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblyman Joel Anderson to determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd place rankings.

Mark Brown from Casa Grande High School in Petaluma was awarded 1st place and a $2,500 scholarship. Mark is a pragmatic, diplomatic and resourceful student who is the President of his honor society and has logged many community service hours. Mark has applied to the University of Southern California, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Carnegie Mellon University and plans on studying architecture. 

Eric Bowcock from San Pasqual High School in Escondido was awarded 2nd place and a $2,000 scholarship. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and the California Scholarship Federation. In addition to his academic achievements, Eric also received varsity letters in football, basketball, volleyball and tennis. Eric is committed to improving his community and is active in various clubs volunteering his time for good causes. Eric will be attending the University of Colorado majoring in business.

Louis Dressel lives in Foster City and attends San Mateo High School. He was awarded 3rd place and a $1,500 scholarship. Louis is graduating at the top of his class. Commended for his national merit, Louis has also been classified as an “AP Scholar with Distinction” for excellence on AP exams. In addition to his academic accomplishments, Louis has been fully involved with San Mateo’s sports, captain of both his cross-county and soccer teams. Louis plans on majoring in engineering and has been accepted to GeorgiaTech, the University of Michigan and Cornell University.

The CACESF was started to help California high school graduates pursue their education at any accredited public or private college, university or trade school and to emphasize to high school seniors the importance of good credit management. For the latest announcements for the 2009-2010 scholarships, or for more information about CACESF, please visit CACESF’s website, www.cacesf.org.

CAC is a non-profit association that represents over 350 third-party collection agencies throughout the state. CAC’s mission is to promote, stimulate, increase and improve the educational, social, economic and ethical welfare of the California collection industry and the public it serves. For more information go to www.calcollectors.net or call CAC at (916) 929-2125.