The International Surfing Association is proud to announce that it has awarded USD $20,000 of Scholarships to 35 young surfers from 21 countries around the world as part of the 2016 ISA Scholarship Program.
“The ISA is proud to foster the development of young surfers around the globe and provide them with financial support to make their education and Surfing dreams come true,” says ISA President, Fernando Aguerre.” The ISA Scholarship Program has played a key role in expanding the reach of the sport in non-traditional Surfing nations around the globe.
For the official word from the ISA including names of all the recipients please follow the jump.
INTERNATIONAL SURFING ASSOCIATION AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO YOUNG SURFERS ACROSS THE GLOBE
Raju-with-board2016 ISA Scholarship winner from India, Raju Silvadasan, hopes to use his scholarship to achieve his dream of attending a university.
The ISA Scholarship Program offers financial aid to surfers who are under 18 years old to further their education, pay for travel to surf contests, pay for contest fees and upgrade their surfing equipment. Athletes are considered based on their needs as well as their dedication to Surfing and academic performance.
The ISA Individual Scholarship was established in 2007 and has awarded more than 300 scholarships worth USD $248,500 to further the education and surfing careers of young surfers in need.
At only 10-years-old, Kiesha Wakeham from Fiji dreams of becoming the best female surfer in her country.
Many previous ISA Scholarship winners have gone on to compete at national and international Surfing competitions with the help of the ISA’s financial aid and five of this year’s scholarship winners also participated at the 2016 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in the Azores in September.
Argentina’s Abril Solis, Brazil’s Raul Bormann, Morocco’s Aboubakr Bouaouda, Peru’s Daniella Rosas Vega and South Africa’s Angelo Faulkner were the 2016 ISA Scholarship winners that were selected to represent their country and compete in the historic edition of the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship which set a record for athlete and country participation.
Additionally, the event featured the participation of the following past ISA Scholarship winners:
Josefina Vidueira – Chile, 2014
Danilo Cerda – Chile, 2012
Esteban Chavez – Costa Rica, 2014 & 2013
Iron Burgos – Ecuador, 2013 & 2011
Titouan Boyer – France, 2013
Lilly von Treuenfels – Germany
Summer Macedo – Hawaii, 2013
Yuki Nakashio – Japan, 2014
Luis Rey Hernandez – Mexico, 2014 & 2013
Valeria Peconi – Mexico, 2014
Jolari Carreras – Puerto Rico, 2013
Delfina Morosini – Uruguay, 2014
ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:
“The ISA is proud to foster the development of young surfers around the globe and provide them with financial support to make their education and Surfing dreams come true. The ISA Scholarship Program has played a key role in expanding the reach of the sport in non-traditional Surfing nations around the globe.
“The value of an ISA Scholarship was more evident than ever at the 2016 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in the Azores. Athletes that have won ISA Scholarships in the past showed their progression in the sport aided by the ISA’s financial support and it was great to see some of the 2016 winners showing their talent and potential.
“Supporting the youth of Surfing is crucial to ensure a bright future for the sport, as these surfers could potentially be the athletes competing four years from now at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”
South Africa’s Sam Cele has dreams of competing among the world’s best junior surfers in the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
Scholarship stories:
While every scholarship winner has an inspiring story behind their dedication to Surfing and education, here are the stories of Frank Ayaa (GHA), Samukelisiswe Cele (RSA) and Raju Silvadasan (IND).
See all the winners’ stories here: http://www.isasurf.org/2016-scholarship-ambassadors/
Frank Ayaa, Ghana
Frank Ayaa is a 17-year-old surfer from Ghana who is always interested in learning new things. Last year, Frank tried Surfing for the first time and was hooked. He competed in his first contest this year and placed fourth in his division, outperforming surfers with many more years of experience than him.
Frank will put his scholarship award towards his education, which is one step towards achieving his dream of attending college.
Samukelisiswe Cele, South Africa
Samukelisiswe Cele started surfing when she was 14. Now 17 years old, she has gone on to become one of the top female surfers in Durban. Sam is part of a small group called ‘Zulu Girls’, who act as role models to younger girls in their community. In Sam’s case, she encourages other girls to start surfing.
Sam’s dream is to represent her nation of South Africa in the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship among the world’s best surfers and will use her scholarship to compete, train and improve her surfing equipment.
Raju Silvadasan, India
Raju Silvadasan is a 19-year-old passionate surfer from a small fishing village near Kovalam, India. While many boys his age don’t stay in school, Raju has made it a goal to keep studying and receive an education. Raju will apply his scholarship award to studying for and taking a standard state exam that will allow him to enroll in a university to study engineering.
2016 ISA Scholarship Program winners:
Abril Solis – Argentina
Raul Bormann – Brazil
Matilda Molina – Chile
Kenneth Granados – Costa Rica
Cedric McCrackin – Costa Rica
Abril Sogia Viquez – Costa Rica
Odin Rodriguez Schaffner – Costa Rica
Colbert Villanueva Stanley – Spain
John Vasea – Fiji
Kiesha Wakeham – Fiji
Bernard Bannor – Ghana
Frank Ayaa – Ghana
Joshua Bannor – Ghana
Samuel Jules – Haiti
Ronald Lafond – Haiti
Frantzy Andris – Haiti
Guy Alex Jean – Haiti
Raju Silvadasan – India
Clinton Fredy – India
Sinchana D Gowda – India
Selah McPhail – Jamaica
Kaishu Yamamoto – Japan
Baecker Badrouddine Adrianirina – Madagascar
Aboubakr Bouaouda – Morocco
Lars Kintscher – Namibia
Erick Cruz – Nicaragua
Daniella Rosas Vega – Peru
Samukelisiswe Cele – South Africa
Paul Sampson Chudleigh – South Africa
Angelo Faulkner – South Africa
Elton John – Trinidad and Tobago
Jyiell Lewis – Trinidad and Tobago
Leo Arman Kapcik – Turkey
Augustín Zanotta – Uruguay
Daniel Piña – Venezuela
