November 7, 2007

Quirk among Apple of Gold honorees
Hispanic education group salutes three Cal State Fullerton alumni.
By BARBARA GIASONE
The Orange County Register

FULLERTON – Councilwoman Sharon Quirk was among three Cal State Fullerton alumni to receive the Apple of Gold award from the Orange County Hispanic Education Endowment Fund on Nov. 2.

Quirk, who has been teaching in the Fullerton School District for more than two decades, works at Richman Elementary School, where she and her nine siblings attended school. She was elected to the City Council in 2004 and chosen to serve as mayor pro tem this year.

Other honorees are Susan Balas, who teaches at Loara High School in Anaheim, and John Hernandez, vice president of student services at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.

Balas has been involved with mentoring programs designed to build student confidence and success.

Hernandez is responsible for strategic planning, funding and evaluation of student services and programs as vice president of student services at the college.

The endowment fund was established in 1996 to support scholarships, programs and institutions that respond to the needs of Latino youth. The group has awarded more than $900,000 in scholarships to more than 900 college students in the last decade.