Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship winners are, from left, Arianne Terrones, Akshay Swaminarayan, Layton Laeser and Rebecca Li with Stan Kosiewicz and Amy Anderson (center) Photo by Jessica Booton
Kristin Kosiewicz/Courtesy photo
LAPS FOUNDATION NEWS RELEASE
LAPS Foundation announces Layton Laeser Rebecca Li, Akshay Swaminarayan and Arianne Terrones as the 2024 graduates selected for the Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship this year.
This is the third year for the scholarship which is awarded in memory of Kristin Kosiewicz, a 1993 graduate of Los Alamos High School who passed away on September 26, 2021. The scholarship’s purpose is to increase awareness of the dangers of accidental drug overdose which tragically took Kristin’s life. Applicants for the scholarship wrote an essay about the negative impacts of substance abuse, the role gateway substances have in leading young people to become addicted, their thoughts about how to better prepare young adults graduating from high school to avoid the dangers of accidental overdose, and ideas for prevention and awareness strategies.
Stan Kosiewicz and Amy Anderson, Kristin’s father and stepmother, have appreciated the generous donations to the scholarship. The Foundation will continue to accept donations for future awards of the scholarship. Stan and Amy were also impressed by the wisdom and insight demonstrated by all of the applicants in their essays. One student commented that it was an honor to write about such an important topic. Stan said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness about accidental drug overdose with the hope that we can help prevent other families from experiencing the tragic loss of a child.”
Congratulations to the four students who were selected as the recipients of the scholarship this year. Layton Laeser will attend Eastern New Mexico University to study culinary arts. Rebecca Li will attend the University of California at Los Angeles and major in psychobiology. Akshay Swaminarayan will attend the University of Arizona with a biochemistry major. Arianne Terrones will attend Arizona State University to study criminology.
The Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship is administered by the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that supports, challenges, and invests in a successful future for all Los Alamos public school students. Learn more at www.lapsfoundation.com.