The Friends of the Coronado Public Library have announced the recipients of the 2026 Coronado High School Scholarships, recognizing exceptional local students for their academic achievement, leadership, community involvement, and passion for lifelong learning.
The 2026 scholarship recipients were honored at Awards Night on June 1 in the John D. Spreckels Reading Room at the Coronado Public Library. This year’s scholars represent a remarkable range of academic, artistic, and service-oriented accomplishments, continuing the Friends’ long-standing tradition of supporting Coronado students as they pursue higher education and future career goals.
Scholarships were presented by Friends President Carl Luna and Vice President and Scholarship Committee Chair Sharon Hall. Also attending the ceremony were Friends Board Member Cassie Morton and Becky Seaman Geiss, whose family’s longstanding support through the Wilf & Ruth Seaman Scholarship helps make these awards possible.
“For generations of Coronado students, the Library has been a place where curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning begin,” said Luna. “We are honored to support these remarkable students as they pursue their next chapters and look forward to seeing the impact they will make in the future.
This year’s Friends of the Coronado Public Library Scholarship recipients include:
The Wilf & Ruth Seaman Scholarship
Mia Coronado
Attending: Washington University in St. Louis
The Susan Stark Scholarships
Emma Lund
Rotary Exchange Program — Taichung, Taiwan
Emma will spend the coming year studying abroad in Taiwan before applying to four-year universities.
Daniel Vinegrad
Attending: Stanford University — Sustainable Architecture and Engineering
The Jim & Bette Sherman General Curriculum Scholarships
Dhara Jost
Attending: UCLA — Environmental Science
Sean Wilbur
Attending: Cal Poly Pomona — Mechanical Engineering and Political Science
The Jim & Bette Sherman Fine Arts/COSA Scholarships
Annika Haslam
Attending: City of Dublin FET College Ballyfermot, Ireland — Animation
Roxanne Langevin
Attending: University of Southern California
Lena Masutani
Attending: Accepted to both Otis College of Art and Design and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; currently deciding between the two schools.
Anika Talavera (Anika was serving on the technical crew for Islander Youth Theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition at the time of the Friends Awards Night.)
The Friends scholarship program itself is entering a new chapter of growth
This year, the Friends received a legacy-building donation from the Susan Stark Trust that will expand the impact and future reach of the scholarship program for Coronado students. This donation allowed the Friends to add an additional Susan Stark Scholarship for the 2026 school year. Looking ahead, the Friends are excited to continue working closely with the Stark family and the Trust to thoughtfully develop and grow the program in ways that will create even more opportunities for future generations of Coronado students.
In addition, longtime supporters Jim and Bette Sherman expanded their scholarship support this year to six awards after being inspired by the exceptional strength and quality of the 2026 applicant pool.
