"The company was built on the premise that acting in a socially responsible manner, with integrity and honesty, leads to personal success and a thriving community."

2007 St. Margaret’s Tartan Scholar

Marisa Yanez – Stanford University

Gates Foundation Millennium Scholar

Marisa grew up with her parents and older brothers. Both her parents expressed thanks for the help provided by the Foundation. Her father explained that the level of academic advice and focused counseling provided by St. Margaret’s helped his daughter get to Stanford. Her mother was very grateful for the “example of social responsibility” set by the foundation. In a speech at the Tartan Scholars Dinner, she presented the Foundation with a plaque, and she encouraged the students attending the dinner to follow Mr. Picerne’s example and make their world a better place. She also said that she and her husband worked very hard as parents, but lacked financial resources. They felt that the Foundation scholarship provided a powerful financial match to their parenting efforts.

Marisa is strong academically excelling in science and the humanities. Her teachers find that she is confident, honest, and maintains an extraordinary level of focus and involvement in everything she takes on. She received a Gates Millennium Scholar award that will pay for all expenses for ten years of higher education with no financial cap. Students qualify for this award by excelling in the classroom and demonstrating a financial need to continue their education. Marisa will major in Pre-Med at Stanford and plans to become a surgeon.