THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT STUDENT GETS A FULL COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FROM DISNEY 

Colorado Springs, Colo. —Sidney Primas, age 19, a senior at Westlake High School near Thousand Oaks, Calif., has been selected as the 2008 The Walt Disney Company Foundation Scholarship recipient. This is the 29th year that Disney has provided the scholarship to a Junior Achievement student. The scholarship awards full tuition for four years of undergraduate studies at any accredited college or university in either business administration or fine arts. Primas was accepted at all twelve schools to which he applied and plans to attend Duke University majoring in business administration and bioengineering. Sidney’s career goals include starting his own business designing brain-computer interfaces—after he attains two graduate degrees.

Sidney was chosen by a selection committee comprised of educators, business professionals, and directors of Junior Achievement. The recipient is selected based on participation in Junior Achievement programs, scholastic ability, and extracurricular activities.

A participant in JA Company Program™ in grades 10-12, Primas served as president of his student company all three years. Students in JA Company Program run a real business enterprise with the guidance of a volunteer from the local business community, and learn how to devise, market, and sell a product while turning a profit and returning dividends to their shareholders. 

Sidney will graduate first in his class of 599 in academics, and achieved SAT scores in the 98th percentile. His extracurricular activities include participation in soccer, water polo and swimming; president of the National Honors Society, president of his Future Business Leaders club, volunteering at the Westminster Free Clinic, and through a volunteer program at his church raised money to travel to Mexico and build a house for a needy family. Primas’s responsibilities at the Westminster Free Clinic include supervising a team of 35 volunteers who help provide primary care services to uninsured homeless and working poor citizens of Ventura County, Calif. In addition, he served on a steering committee organized by Junior Achievement of Southern California, to start the JA Competitive Edge, a Junior Achievement of Southern California student company competition, the first of its kind in Southern California in more than 20 years.

The letters of recommendation submitted with Sidney’s scholarship application universally praised his leadership abilities, enthusiastic attitude, drive to succeed, and desire to give back to his community.

 “The skills that Sid learned during his three years of Junior Achievement programs—leadership, entrepreneurial thinking, and problem-solving—have been demonstrated through his outstanding school record and resume of community service activities,” said Gary Hickman, president of Junior Achievement of Southern California. “Our entire staff is incredibly proud of his accomplishments, and we know he will go on to even greater things in the future.”

“I am extremely grateful to The Walt Disney Company Foundation and Junior Achievement for this scholarship,” added Primas. “This award will help me get the education I need to achieve my dream of starting a cutting-edge neuro-engineering company, using the entrepreneurial skills I learned from Junior Achievement.”

 (A photo of Sidney Primas is available upon request.)

About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than 3.5 million students served by operations in 118 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org. 

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