Teen wins scholarship

The day before her 13th birthday, Michelle Vaisman of Agoura Hills was accepted into the Mary Baldwin College Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG). Mary Baldwin is a four-year liberal arts college in Staunton, Va.

On Feb. 19, Michelle was given a $1,000 scholarship by the Zonta Club of the Conejo Valley, a global service organization of business executives and professionals working across political and social boundaries to advance the status of women worldwide.

Vaisman was given a special "Young Women of Merit Scholarship" for her outstanding qualities that represent what the organization stands for.

She attends eighth grade at the Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles, where she is a straight-A student.

Michelle was recruited by Mary Baldwin's PEG program based on her high scores on the SAT, which she took in the seventh grade through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program. She was offered a $13,000 merit scholarship toward the $30,000 she needs to attend the PEG program, which has 70 gifted girls ranging from 12 to 16 from all over the country. This is the only residential women's college for gifted girls in the country.

She will follow her passion for math and science by majoring in chemistry and minoring in physics and economics in September.

Volunteers recognized

The American Red Cross of Ventura County honored its volunteers on March 29 at its annual Volunteer Recognition Event. Recognition was given to the following 2008 honorees: Disaster Services Award — Trina Hole of Ventura; Good Neighbor Award — Carlos Reyes, Olas Mex Grill of Camarillo; Health and Safety Award — Kim Landry of Simi Valley; Partnership Award — the Ventura County Fire Department; Rookie of the Year Award — David Bayer of Ventura; Service to the Armed Forces Award — Gwen and Gerry Wong of Camarillo; Unsung Hero Award — Maria Tello of Ojai; Volunteer Fundraiser Award — Doug Graham of Moorpark; Youth Services Award — James Jee of Thousand Oaks; and Stark Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award — Steve Caplan of Newbury Park.

Photographers will head to Olympics

Brooks Institute announced Visual Journalism faculty member and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Rickman and Visual Journalism student Mariah Tauger will travel to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China as press photographers for NewSport Photo Agency.

For more than 25 years, Rickman has covered all aspects of Olympic sports and has developed an affiliation with the United States Olympic Committee. Currently, Rickman is the primary contributor to NewSport Photo, a sports photo agency and syndicate, which supplies work to the U.S. governing bodies for Olympic-related sports.

This year, Rickman worked with NewSport Photography and the U.S. Olympic Committee to make history by giving a college student this rare, all-access photographic press credential, and an exceedingly rare opportunity for this Brooks student to be part of the fully credentialed, international media at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tauger, a third-year student, competed among several applicants from Brooks Institute's Visual Journalism program to earn the opportunity. Les Walker, director of NewSport Photo, selected Tauger after a thorough review of the applicants' journalistic backgrounds and sports portfolios.