May 2, 2004

Willow Glen senior wins scholarship

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Giulietta Pezzaniti, a senior at Willow Glen High School, is one of 15 Bay Area seniors to win a $1,000 Metro PCS scholarship. The seniors were recognized during halftime at an April 11 Golden State Warriors basketball game.

Pezzaniti is brilliant, personable, popular and has overcome great odds to get where she is today, said Carmen Mahood, Willow Glen High vice principal. Besides a 3.94 GPA, 60 credits more than she needed for graduation, sports, community service and student body offices—she is secretary of the Associate Student Body—she has a heart condition. This year in fact, Pezzaniti had surgery, but still managed to keep her grades up, play tennis and badminton and serve the community, she added.

Pezzaniti has chosen to attend U.C. Berkeley next fall. She says she likes the atmosphere and everyone seems very nice. She is looking at a number of careers including teaching and the law, the latter because of mock trials she’s been involved in.

“I think school takes my mind off my heart,” she says, “it helps me not think about it. Because of everything I do, I have to manage my time. I like what I’m doing, and I have fun with the clubs and sports activities I take part in,” Pezzaniti said. She also enjoys serving her community through the Willow Glen branch library. “At first I just got to shelve the books, but then I starting reading to the children and helping them and that’s really fun,” she adds.

MetroPCS has awarded 85 seniors with $1,000 scholarships across the United States the past two years. The program is designed to recognize high school students who contribute to their communities and excel academically.

“We were highly impressed by the caliber of students who applied for this scholarship, and we’re glad we can help them take the next step in their educational career,” said Chip Graves, vice president and general manager for MetroPCS San Francisco region. “This is a very satisfying way for us to contribute to the communities that have played a role in our success in the last year.”

Dallas-based MetroPCS provides wireless communications services with a total of 14 PCS licenses in the greater Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta and Sacramento metropolitan areas. The company is among the first wireless operators to deploy an all-digital network based on third generation infrastructure and handsets.  For more information, visit the company Web site at www.metropcs.com.