Giving These Teens a Chance

By Natalie Hoffman, Register Staff Writer
Napa Valley Register © 2007

Scholarships give bright future to kids with dark pasts

Like many Napa Valley teens, Natasha Chapman, 18, plans to attend college.??But Chapman, who said she will major in education at Sonoma State University when she leaves New Technology High School, faced special challenges throughout her earlier teen years when she battled depression and physical problems.

"I felt like an outcast. It came to a point where I was unable to control my emotions and my self-esteem was very low. I had body image issues and I felt that I had to be a smaller size for people to like me. My body was always weak and I always had a low energy level," she said.

Chapman, who wants to become an elementary school teacher, is one of 28 Napa Valley teens who will receive a scholarship from the If Given a Chance Foundation, a local organization that contributes scholarships, professional support and more to local teens who have conquered personal obstacles such as abuse, neglect, illness and domestic violence.

Chapman said her problems escalated when she spent time with teens who were using drugs and alcohol, adding that the influence of peer pressure was strong.

"I never made plans for the future, or even considered it. I don't regret any of the choices I have made in the past. I overcame them with help from a therapist and my family and friends," said Chapman. "Without the support of the people around me, I wouldn't be where I am today and I am thankful for all of the help and love I have received."

Jim King, executive director of If Given a Chance, said he took the first steps toward the organization's inception in 1994, while he was chair of the Napa County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Mission. During the infancy of If Given a Chance, King exchanged ideas with police, school and political leaders to create a program for kids who overcame challenges such as physical abuse, molestation, poverty and parental disability.

In 1995, King launched the foundation and If Given a Chance awarded a $1,000 scholarship to each of the program's 12 recipients. Today, the number of Napa County scholarship recipients has grown to 28. Each student receives $2,500 to use toward higher education, King said.??Scholarship recipients include some teens who may have a bad home life, have lived in foster homes, or have had gang ties in the past, he said.

"Everyone knows who the class leaders are. ... We support and honor them; they attract a lot of scholarship money," King said. "We were missing the kids who were on their way up and wanted to catch them when they're changing. ... It's so powerful -- what these kids have been through and what they have done."

King, who is also a member of the Napa County Planning Commission, said about 69 percent of the foundation's scholarship recipients are female. About 33 percent of the recipients are Latino, 62 percent are Caucasian and the remainder are African-American, Pacific Islander and other ethnicities.

Matthew Rotwitt, 18, is another of this year's recipients. He attends Napa High School and said he will soon attend either UC Davis or USC, where plans to take chemistry and pre-med classes.

Rotwitt, a golf fan who enjoys hanging out with friends, faced a life-altering medical condition just before turning 6.

"I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. I have nodules on my throat which cause me to lose my voice much easier than most. It was a tough challenge at such a young age, and doctors were not sure how my learning capacity would be affected or if I would ever be able to think for myself again. I have been in remission for about 11 or 12 years and I lead a completely normal lifestyle."

Rotwitt's future plans include becoming a neurosurgeon or oncologist, he said.

Like Rotwitt, Liliana Vargas, 17, will also receive a $2,500 scholarship from If Given a Chance. She attends New Tech High and said she will soon study at Channel Islands State University, where she will take general education courses. Vargas is planning a career in forensic psychology.

Although Vargas didn't give a detailed description of the challenges she's faced in the past, she said she had to make a conscious decision to isolate herself from the people who usually provide children with support, advice and encouragement -- her family.

"I had to face the fact that my family, instead of helping me, was bringing me down. Therefore, I had to separate myself from them in order to achieve my goals," she said.

Scholarship recipient and future UC Davis student Kate Devine, 17, attends Napa High School. Devine said she will study veterinary medicine when she gets to college. "Acting and animals ? are my true loves," she said.

For privacy reasons, Devine did not disclose the circumstances which made her eligible for the scholarship, but said she will pursue a career in the Peace Corps.

"I am incredibly thankful to receive this scholarship and hope that no one ever lets money stand in their way of an education," she said.