LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Proving that community service has far-reaching benefits, Hitachi, Ltd. identified and rewarded five Los Angeles-area students from a field of hundreds for their commitment to improving the safety of their community. Reflecting President Bush's clarion call for service, the five high school seniors -- selected on the merits of a written application for the 2002 Hitachi Safety Scholarship -- delivered a final-round oral presentation on their community service efforts before a panel of local business and community leaders. The grand-prize winner received $5,000 in scholarship money, while the remaining four finalists each received $1000.
This year's winner, Godfrey Plata of the California Academy of Math and Science in Carson, delivered the winning presentation on his efforts to promote AIDS awareness. Inspired by his reading of the Ryan White Story for a history class project, Godfrey wrote a ten-minute musical presentation entitled "One Boy, One Dream."
"When I took on this project I didn't expect to receive this level of recognition for my efforts. Everyone here's a winner -- I admire all that they've done," Plata said.
"Mr. Plata gave a fantastic presentation today on his outstanding efforts to make our community a safer place through the promotion of AIDS awareness and tolerance," said Tetsuo Saito, senior representative for Hitachi, Ltd. "After seeing how hard all of these young men and women work to make a difference, I'm proud to be able to be a part of Hitachi's recognition of their success and community spirit at such a young age. I wish all of our participants the best as they enter college years undoubtedly filled with excitement."
The runners up included Aisha Masooda Ali, from Whitney High School in Cerritos; Noor Salim from Valley Christian High School in Sun Valley; Victoria Williams from the Westridge School; and Adam Borelli from Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks.
In addition to their prize money, Hitachi surprised each participant with a new VCR to help outfit his or her dorm room. Hitachi, Ltd. will continue the awarding of California Safety Scholarships at Orange County/San Diego and Bay Area regional competitions later this month.
For more than 10 years, Hitachi, Ltd. has been a demonstrated leader in the practice of corporate philanthropy and citizenship in California. Long on the cutting edge of new technologies and applications in many areas, including electronics, electrical equipment and systems technologies, Hitachi has 66 group companies operating in the United States employing more than 18,000 people, including 4,000 in California.