Virginia Golfer May / Jun 2020 | Page 11

Around The Commonwealth VSGA DAY MAY HAVE BEEN PUT ON HOLD IN 2020 DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS, but the VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation was anything but idle this spring. The Foundation awarded $78,000 worth of scholarships to graduating Virginia high school seniors with a shared interest in golf, along with $5,000 to graduate students in Virginia Tech’s turfgrass management program. Here is a look at the winners of the VSGA’s named awards, along with a list of all scholarship award recipients in 2020. David Luo from Jefferson High School received the Dan Keffer Award, the Scholarship Foundation’s highest honor. AJGA C. DAN KEFFER AWARD ($6,000) David Luo The C. Dan Keffer Award is named for the former VSGA scholarship committee chairman and Foundation president. It is the Scholarship Foundation’s highest honor, presented to each year’s top applicant. Luo, who lives in Centreville and attends Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, is the 2020 recipient. The American Junior Golf Association honored Luo for his academic pursuits by naming him to the 2019 AJGA Scholastic Junior All-America team, one of just 24 students (12 boys and 12 girls) nationwide to earn the distinction. Luo was Jefferson’s team captain in 2019 and earned Group 5A All-State honors, along with Washington Post honorable mention All-Met honors. Luo recorded a 4.53 GPA, is a national AP scholar and is heavily involved in Jefferson’s economics program. SPENCER-WILKINSON AWARD ($6,000) Melissa Meng Spencer-Wilkinson Awards are presented each year to promising young girls. Blacksburg High School’s Melissa Meng is the 50th recipient of a Spencer-Wilkinson Award, and she’ll continue her golf career at Harvard University. Meng was a key member of a Blacksburg High School team that won two Virginia High School League titles and finished twice as runner-up during her four years at the school. Meng was heavily involved in the AJGA and is ranked 36th among junior girls nationwide in the class of 2020. She is part of the AJGA’s Leadership Links Program. M AY/J UNE 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 9