July 2017
Six dependents of active Seafarers now are better equipped to handle the financial stresses associated with their higher education aspirations, thanks to grants totaling $120,000 given to them by the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan (SHBP).
Megan Crawford, Julia Smith, Daenielle Amandoron, Albert Tinay, Erowin Udan and Ryan Pulido all were recently named as recipients of the 2017 Charlie Logan Scholarships by the SHBP Scholarship Committee. Convening May 12 in New York, the committee selected the aforementioned dependents to receive $20,000 each to help offset the cost of obtaining four-year college degrees.
Megan Crawford
Megan Crawford is the daughter of inland Able Seaman Douglas Crawford (and mother Gillian, a homemaker) and was selected as first alternate for the 2015 Charlie Logan Scholarships.
Born in New London, Connecticut, Crawford is a 2016 graduate of Westerly High School in Westerly, Rhode Island. She ranked 24th in her class of 196 students and registered an overall 4.14 grade point average (GPA). Megan was a member of the National Honor Society, Rhode Island Honor Society and the Distinction on Senior Project.
An accomplished athlete, Crawford was a four-year member of her high school lacrosse team. She served as team captain during her junior and senior years. Off the field, she held membership in an organization called Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse. Additionally, Megan served as a volunteer youth lacrosse coach, a youth lacrosse referee and a junior sailing instructor.
Crawford had already entered college when she applied for this year’s scholarship competition. She is attending Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she made the dean’s list following the conclusion of her first semester. Crawford posted 3.94 GPA with the distinction of being in the top 10 percent of all students in Catholic’s School of Arts and Sciences.
She entered Catholic as a psychology major but has since altered her focus to a career in marketing. She hopes to earn her degree in marketing research.
Julia Smith
Julia Smith is a 2015 graduate of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, and is the daughter of inland Able Seaman Scott Smith (and mother Doreen, an educational secretary and substitute teacher).
Born in Philadelphia, Smith ranked 63rd in her class of 269 students and posted an overall GPA of 3.9. She was active in sports at the high school level, participating on her school’s softball teams. When not in the classroom or on the field, she gave back to her community by volunteering in humanitarian events including blood drives.
Following her graduation, Julia took a job with the SIU-contracted Crowley Maritime Corporation. At the same time, she enrolled full time at Penn State Abington in Abington, Pennsylvania, where she studied nursing.
At the time of her application for SHBP Scholarship consideration, she had completed three semesters at Penn State, earned 43 credits and posted a 3.91 GPA. Julia recently received her Associates in the Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
“With this degree, I now have my nursing prerequisite coursework finished,” she said. “Last December, I was accepted into the Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (Philadelphia) Class of 2019.”
In her application package, Smith shared why she wants to pursue a career in nursing. “(The) four main reasons I have selected nursing as a career would be my admiration and interest in the sciences, my empathetic desire to help heal others, my [desire] to be challenged by a diverse environment where I will continuously learn every day of my career, and the opportunity to grow in my community as a licensed medical professional.”
Daenielle Amandoron
Daenielle Amandoron hails from Las Vegas and is the daughter of deep sea QE4 Marciano Amandoron (and mother Flor, a registered nurse). She is a 2017 graduate of Northwest Career & Technical Academy in Las Vegas, where she posted a 4.63 GPA and ranked 31st in her class that numbered 406 students.
As a high school student, Daenielle participated in volleyball and held membership in a variety of non-athletic school, civic and church organizations. She volunteered at Las Vegas-area medical care facilities including public hospitals as well as others run by the U.S. Veterans Administration. Amandoron also found time to volunteer at animal shelters. Her career aspiration is to work in the medical profession.
“My interest in the medical field dates back to my years as a preschooler, where I explored the hallways of the emergency room,” she wrote in her application package for the 2017 SHBP Scholarship program. “Seeing everyone meticulously helping patients and rushing to call the doctors enticed my young mind and since then, I’ve decided that I want to become a doctor. Being exposed to the realm of medicine early on has helped me set goals for myself in order to achieve my dream career.”
Daenielle has applied for acceptance to the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She hopes to pursue a degree in nursing.
Albert Tinay
Albert Tinay hails from Texas and is the son of deep sea Able Seaman Reynaldo Tinay (and mother Maria, a nurse).
A 2017 graduate of both Lamar Academy (International Baccalaureate program) and McAllen High School in McAllen, Texas, Tinay ranked 22nd in his class of 507 students.
Albert was involved in a host of civic and church organizations in his community. Among these were the ALS Club, Singing Spuds, Science Olympiad and his church choir. His dedication toward each of these endeavors was devout as evidenced by the time he committed to them and the passion with which he approached each. Given his background, such enthusiasm comes as no surprise.
“As part of an immigrant family, I was fortunate to have parents who made sure that I worked hard in school,” he wrote in his application package for the SHBP Scholarship program. “At an early age, my parents encouraged me to try my hardest in whatever endeavors I pursue, whether it be academic, extracurricular, or personal.
“They wanted to make sure that I attended a good college to pursue opportunities they never had, living in the Philippines,” he continued. “My parents always supported me in all endeavors, such as coming to all of my choir concerts/ shows and coming to competitions. They especially helped me in math which I excel at.”
Math became one of Tinay’s favorite subjects in high school. During his junior and senior years, he took Mathematics Standard Level and Calculus as part of his International Baccalaureate curriculum. Albert’s instructor for both courses was the same individual, a teacher whom he labeled as “…one of the most intelligent mathematicians I know.” It was this instructor’s profound influence that helped mold Tinay into the person he is today: one who is hooked on mathematics.
Albert has applied for admission to the University of Texas at Austin, St. John’s University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas A&M University. He hopes to major in mathematics and minor in music.
Erowin Udan
Erowin Udan is a 2017 graduate of Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The son of retired deep sea Able Seaman Erowin Udan (and mother Jeannette, a bank teller), Erowin recorded a 4.02 overall GPA in high school.
He participated on the school’s judo and tennis teams and was part of the yearbook staff. A member of the National Honor Society, Erowin was active in the Filipino Club and participated his school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He dedicated numerous hours volunteering his time assisting students at local schools.
“The main principle I always try to follow is to be there for those who need help,” Udan wrote in his application package for the 2017 SHBP Scholarship program. “This influenced me to pursue a career in nursing.
“I learned early on that this would require a lot of study and hard work,” he continued. “I made sure to study and take my academics seriously, which allowed me to maintain a 4.0 grade point average, including being on the president’s list and entry into the National Honor Society.”
Erowin said he thoroughly enjoys being able to give of himself in order to make others happy. Becoming a nurse, he said, makes such an outcome possible.
Udan has as applied for admission to the University of Hawaii and Chaminade University. He will pursue his degree in nursing.
Ryan Pulido
Ryan Pulido is a 2016 graduate of Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas. He ranked 186th in his class of 543 students, posting a 4.72 GPA.
The son of deep sea Able Seaman Rolonda Pulido (and mother Jennifer, a nurse), Ryan was a member of his school’s basketball team. He also was involved in a variety of non-athletic activities including the band, student council, peer assistant leadership program and the student programming board. Ryan served as cinema chair, director of the national and alumni relations groups and as a drill instructor.
Extremely active in his community, Pulido volunteered numerous hours assisting elementary school students who were socially and academically challenged.
“I am considering becoming a forensic psychologist,” Pulido said in his application package for the 2017 SHBP Scholarship program. “This career interests me because I want to help the world better understand individuals that commit crimes and find solutions to lessen the number of individuals who commit crimes. I believe that if we find out how criminals think and perceive the world, then it would be easier to understand them and help them with what is going on.”
Ryan currently is attending the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He is majoring in psychology and already has completed 24 credit hours.
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