For the past 15 years, the Coronado Junior Woman’s Club’s Marilyn Foster Scholarship has been a shining beacon of support for Coronado’s female graduates. Named after the remarkable Mrs. Foster — known for her tireless community service, award-winning gardening, and unwavering dedication as a military spouse — this scholarship continues to embody her legacy and empowers young women to make a difference in their community.
The Coronado Junior Woman’s Club (CJWC) considered 12 exceptional applicants this year, and three recipients were selected to receive $2,000 each toward their college tuition. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Lucia Kenny, Chloe Von Koehe, and Susanna Pate, all young women who have demonstrated a deep commitment to the Coronado community during their high school years and have plans to pay it forward through their future studies and endeavors.
Lucia Kenny: Kinesiology at the University of Utah
Lucia Kenny is on a mission to make a lasting impact on Coronado, a community she’s come to call home since moving here from Utah her sophomore year of high school. Over the past three years, her commitment to Coronado has been evidenced by her high school involvement: Lucia played water polo and softball, while being a member of Student 2 Student (S2S), National Honor Society, and Associated Student Body.
After a water polo injury caused her to “spend a lot of time with the athletic trainer,” Lucia became “very interested in learning more about the back-end of sports, which led me to take Sports Med at CHS. I loved it so much it ended up helping me find what I want to major in at the University of Utah” (a school that not only boasts fun football games, but is also in the top five best colleges for Kinesiology). When asked what she was most excited for about college, Lucia shared, “The football games!”
Lucia envisions eventually opening her own practice to help people of all ages regain their strength, mobility, and independence after surgeries or traumatic events. “I want people to have the ability to go back to their regular lives,” and to be able to enable them to rediscover the joys of Coronado’s vibrant lifestyle — whether that’s surfing, cycling, or even just strolling the island.
Her advice for future generations of students? “Being successful in shaping your own future is making sure to do everything offered to you. It looks good on your college application, but you also don’t want to look back on your life wishing you did more — always be involved.”
Chloe Von Koehe: Pre-Nursing at San Diego City College
Chloe Von Koehe is another remarkable young woman, seeking to “work in Coronado as a nurse in the future. I knew I wanted to go into a field where I could make a difference in other people’s lives, and I’ve always loved science class and learning about the human body. Nursing is a perfect combination of this, and it offers a lot of opportunities for me to work in different settings and specialties.”
Growing up on the island her entire life, Chloe was inspired by Marilyn Foster’s dedication to Coronado and hopes to emulate that same spirited compassion in her life. “Coronado’s close-knit community sparked my love for community involvement.” On school grounds, Chloe was involved in the Sideline and Competition Cheer Teams, National Honor Society, and the Leo Club. During her junior year, off campus grounds, she “held an internship at Safe Harbor Coronado, where I helped to raise mental wellness awareness and reduce the stigma around it. I loved helping out while meeting new students and community members.”
Chloe plans to use the $2,000 from her Marilyn Foster Scholarship to pay for her pre-nursing courses at SDCC, before transferring to a four-year university to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She chose SDCC as it “offers guaranteed admission to universities that are a part of the UC and CSU system. I’m looking forward to taking new classes like Anthropology and Photography and meeting my professors. It’s a big change from high school where you have a small course selection and a laundry list of graduation requirements, but I’m excited!”
Her advice for future generations of students? “Explore your interests. If you are slightly interested in a class, club, or sport, you should sign up! You might make some new friends or discover a new passion. At the beginning of my high school career, my favorite classes were world history and chemistry. But when it came time to pick my classes, I signed up for AP Psychology because it sounded interesting — it turned out to be one of my favorite classes, because I got to learn about how the brain and the body interact. If I hadn’t taken this class, I don’t think I would have considered pursuing a pathway in healthcare.”
Susanna Pate: Biological Life Sciences at Cornell University
We were unable to reach Susanna for comments directly, though the CJWC shared her impressive curriculum vitae which speaks to her selection for the Marilyn Foster Scholarship. At CHS, Susanna was the Vice President of Associated Student Body, Captain of the Varsity Softball team, Captain of the Varsity Basketball team, and an Islander Sports Foundation Student Representative, all while being involved with National Honor Society, Islander Advisory, Power Surge Softball, Young Life, and Captivate Church. It is no surprise that she’ll be attending Cornell CALS (College of Agriculture & Life Sciences) in the fall — and playing on Cornell’s softball team!
Susanna plans to study Biological Life Sciences, before going on to Medical School to become an orthopedic surgeon. After recovering from injuries herself, Susanna was inspired to pursue research in the medical field, and hopes to “contribute to Coronado and the general San Diego community by helping student-athletes get back on their feet and doing what they love after injuries, just as the surgeons helped me return to softball.”
The Coronado Times profiled Susanna earlier this month:
CHS Softball Star Pate Hits it Out of the Park: Headed to Cornell
Congratulations again to Lucia, Chloe, and Susanna on your well-deserved scholarships! The Coronado community will undoubtedly be excited to watch your journeys unfold, and will be impacted for the better for knowing you all. To learn more about the CWJC or become involved, click here.
