Dublin High School Class of ’14 Alum Ioannis Kournoutas Wins $10,000 for Student Project

DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School class of 14’ alumnus Ioannis Kournoutas, who studies at University of California, Davis, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship for a student project.

The scholarship comes from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation, which annually awards as many as fifteen $10,000 scholarships to top California college sophomores and juniors with proposed public-service projects. Kournoutas was awarded along with another UC Davis student, Sina Zarandi.

Both will work on a project titled “Inspire to Aspire,” which is a mentorship program designed to help at-risk high school students in underprivileged parts of the greater Sacramento area. Working in conjunction with psychologists Philip Zimbardo of Stanford, and other renowned professors, they aim to provide the counsel and support required to allow the students to reach their full potential.

Commenting on the projects, Kournoutas stated:

“I definitely think that inculcating the value of education and providing academic support is an important endeavor in any regard, especially for students who may lack the prerequisite resources or guidance. As a junior at UC Davis, I’ve met thousands of students from various backgrounds who haven’t had the same privileges I’ve had, and its fostered in me a longing to do my part to help the next generation.

“Additionally, the further along I get in my academic career the more thankful I am for my time at Dublin High School, for challenging me in a classroom environment that is especially conducive for success later in life. It’s easy to take it for granted in the moment, but I can confirm that some top-notch teaching occurs at DHS. I’d like to particularly shout out the DHS English department. I can easily credit my time spent in the Writing series with Ms. Briggs and Ms. Hollison as one of the foundational experiences leading to my later academic success. Although I’d probably be a lousy teacher myself, I hope that I can utilize my experiences at DHS to run a successful and rewarding mentorship program through Davis.”

Sina Zarandi (L) and Ioannis Kournoutas (R)