2023 Kristin Smart Award Recipients

The recipients of the Kristin Smart Scholarship Fund for the Class of 2023 have been announced.  Each year, four exceptional young female students from both San Joaquin and San Luis Obispo Counties are selected to receive monetary awards to financially assist their quest for a college education.  To qualify for consideration, recipients ideally possess an interest in international relations; architecture; or are pursuing a degree in law enforcement or forensic science.

Kristin Smart was a young, enthusiastic 19-year-old from Stockton who was a freshman at Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo studying architecture, when she disappeared in 1996 during Memorial Day weekend.  She possessed a great love for travel and exploring new cultures.  Now in its fifth year, the Kristin Smart Scholarship Fund has awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 20 recipients. The scholarship was created to honor her life.  

“The Kristin Smart Scholarship is our way to celebrate and remember Kristin’s life, hopes, dreams, and ambitions – by financially helping other young women realize theirs,” said Kristin’s mother, Denise Smart. She added, “These four recipients represent an outstanding group of young women who applied this year, and they truly share Kristin’s passions and career aspirations.”

The Class of 2023 recipients are:

Isabella has held many school leadership roles. She has been a flag leader for the Tracy High School Marching Band, a member of the school orchestra, and a member of her high school volleyball and soccer teams.  She is an active and enthusiastic volunteer for Boys and Girls Club Inclusion program working to help students with disabilities find their voices. Isabella is a recipient of the Rotary Club Public Speaker Award on the importance of community involvement.  Isabella hopes to pursue a law degree with focus on immigration and criminal law with the goal to return to her community.  She wants to help those who are fighting for the right to live in America as well as work with her community to find a solution for the homeless.  She is described as a person who loves to invest in people and is dedicated to academic excellence.

Madison has had multiple leadership roles at her school including student body president and as a member of the Sierra High varsity volleyball, basketball, and track teams. She has received many academic awards and continues to work and volunteer in her community. She hopes to get a social work degree with a focus on sexual abuse and work as a victim’s witness advocate to help survivors of violence. Her school and community passion are to create environments where everyone feels safe and accepted for who they are. She considers Kristin's story an example of strength and resilience under unimaginable circumstances, and it is something she will always remember. She is described as intelligent, hardworking and someone who leads with kindness and compassion.

Austria is an active leader at both her school and in her community. An athletic and academic scholar, captain of her volleyball and wrestling teams, and twice a CIF champion for wrestling and track and field. In addition, Austria is a National Honor Society President, and Teen of the Month for both the California Scholastic Federation and San Luis Obispo County. She is active in the BE Strong and the #988 You MATTER movement with the goal of addressing student mental health concerns and helping to prevent teen suicide.  Austria plans to study law in the hopes that she will one day be able to make a difference and bring a female perspective to the justice system. She is described as a leader you want on your team, someone who is a consensus builder who values the voices of her peers.

Natalie has been active in multiple school clubs, Future Farmers of America, Key Club, Animal Science, and the Environmental Club and as a volunteer in her community. Natalie will be the first in her family to graduate from college. She completed high school a semester early and plans to enroll this summer at Cuesta College. Natalie volunteers with the SLO Senior Nutrition program, the Homeless Overflow (CAPSLO) and Hospitalized Kids organizations. She plans to major in psychology as a career path to becoming a Forensic Psychologist.  She hopes that Kristin's voice will be an example on how to bring justice to other victims. She is described as hard working, compassionate, and inquisitive with an intrinsic motivation to succeed.

2022 Kristin Smart Award Recipients

The recipients of the Kristin Smart Scholarship Fund for 2021-22 have been announced.  Each year, four exceptional young female students from both San Joaquin and San Luis Obispo Counties are selected to receive monetary awards to financially assist their quest for a college education.  To qualify for consideration, recipients ideally possess an interest in international relations; architecture; or are pursuing a degree in law enforcement or forensic science.

Kristin Smart was a young, enthusiastic 19-year-old from Stockton who was a freshman at Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo studying architecture, when she disappeared in 1996 during Memorial Day weekend.  She possessed a great love for travel and exploring new cultures.  The scholarship was created to honor her life. 

Meet our 2021-22 award recipients:

Career Goal – Criminal Prosecutor. With a 4.5 GPA, Avery is active in ASB in a variety of leadership roles, played on the tennis team for 4 years and is an extensive community service leader. She is also a Youth Leadership Member for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office and a member of the speech and debate team. Avery created a mentorship program to help build peer connections and relationships at her school. “Avery is a born leader; she is a kind and giving person who uses her intelligence and compassion to help others.”

Career Goal – Forensic Scientist. With a 3.33 GPA, Taylor is a 4-year All League volleyball player and team captain. She was the ASB president, Girls State representative and has received numerous community service awards. “Taylor has an amazing work ethic and is unflinchingly honest and reliable. She is compassionate, motivated, innovative and truly an exceptional leader.”

Career Goal – Forensic Scientist. Isabella has a 4.14 GPA and is a San Luis Obispo County Mock Trial winner, as well as president and team captain. She was a member of the Drama Club, Interact, and regularly participates in community service. Isabella is also part of the SLO Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue program. “Isabella is the real deal, a compassionate and exceptional student in every way, always striving to do her best and always there to help and support her peers.”

Career Goal – International Law with a focus on local and global issues related to refugee migration.  She has a 4.5 GPA.  Sabrina is a San Luis Obispo Mock Trial winner, a lifeguard and has received multiple awards for her academic excellence.  She is also a community activist and an interpreter.  “Sabrina demonstrates both strength of character, leadership skills, compassion and has a keen understanding of procedural law and procedures.”

Career Goal – Forensic Scientist.  Imelda has earned a 3.95 GPA while attending multiple high schools due to family moves.  She has helped establish the first female BSA club in Arroyo Grande and is a member of the National Honor Society.  She has regularly worked part time jobs throughout her high school career and received multiple academic achievement awards.  “Imelda has a fantastic work ethic, is self-sufficient, organized and always open to new experiences.  Her academics, however, pale in comparison to her kindness.”

2021 Kristin Smart Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2021 KSS Scholarship Awardees!

As a thriving and vibrant 19-year-old freshman, Kristin Smart had a deep love of travel, exploring new cultures and was pursuing her college degree in architecture. While Kristin’s case remains unsolved twenty-five years after her disappearance, the family remains focused on honoring her life and helping others through the Kristin Smart Scholarship.

“Nothing is more important than knowing that my sister’s life continues to have purpose and meaning,” stated Matthew Smart, Kristin’s younger brother. “While we realize we cannot change the past, we can ensure Kristin’s legacy lives on by providing opportunity, through the gift of scholarship, for other young women to follow their dreams, in the way that Kristin had hoped to live out hers.”

Each year, four exceptional young female students from both San Luis Obispo and San Joaquin Counties, are selected to receive monetary awards to financially assist their quest for a college education.  To qualify for consideration, the recipients ideally have an interest in international relations; architecture; or pursuing a degree in law enforcement and/or forensic science. All areas where women are critically under-represented.

Karlaine Francisco

Stockton Early College Academy
4.67 GPA; attending to U.C. Berkeley in the fall
Career Interest:  Architecture and Ethnic Studies
Active in School Leadership and Journalism, Community Outreach Volunteer

Kaylee Garcia

Morro Bay High School
4.33 GPA
Career Interest: Forensic Science
4 Year High school athlete, multiple leadership roles in school and the community

Madelyn Nall

Arroyo Grande High School
4.4 GPA; attending to U.C. Irvine in the fall
Degree Interest- Law Focus with focus on Systemic Discrimination
Active in Student Government, Marching Band and a Community Outreach Leader and Volunteer

Anh (Annie) Nguyen

St. Mary’s High School, Stockton, Ca.
4.4 GPA; attending Yale in the fall.
Degree Interest - International Relations
Founded the Education Initiative, Interest in Community Outreach and Political Activism

2020 Kristin Smart Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2020 KSS Scholarship Awardees!

The most difficult task was selecting finalists from the 28 highly qualified and exceptional young women. Each was deserving in her own right – from academics and community service to school leadership and a passionate commitment and dedication to sports. It was rewarding to see that these young women were also recognized for their compassion, kindness and efforts to build inclusive school communities. We wish each applicant and each awardee a rewarding educational experience and a future that matches their dreams!

Lily is a senior at Arroyo Grande High School in Arroyo Grande, CA. She carries a 4.1 GPA and is described by her teachers as a determined, creative and adventurous young woman who leads others with her heart. She is an integral part of her school’s community leadership team, involved with Link Crew, a member of the Cheer and Stunt teams, and a gymnastics coach for student athletes. Additionally, Lily is a competitive horseback rider and involved in community organizations that promote active and healthy choices for children. Lily hopes to one day be in the FBI after majoring in criminology and earning her Master’s Degree in Criminology from the U.S. Coast Guard. Her goal is to work in criminal profiling or psychology and to build safer communities, “A place where fewer people go missing and that families will not have to wait years to learn the fate of their lost loved ones.” 

Danna is a senior at Morro Bay High School in Morro Bay, CA. She carries a 3.8 GPA and is looking forward to being the first in her family to attend college. She has been a member of her school soccer and tennis teams for four years and has been active in the Boys and Girls Club as a tutor for elementary students. Her teachers describe her as an exceptionally hard-working and enthusiastic student athlete. Danna plans to major in criminology with a career goal of becoming a crime analyst, and she wants everyone to remember that “Kristin was like any other college student working toward achieving her educational dream by attending Cal Poly, but what happened to Kristin can happen to anyone.”

Natalie is a senior from Tracy High School in Tracy, CA. Natalie carries a 4.1 GPA and is a leader in the classroom as well as an active participant and leader in many extracurricular activities. She is a competitive swimmer, water polo player and lifeguard. As a member and co-captain of her high school swim and water polo teams, she was also the news editor of her school paper.  She has focused her attention outside of school on giving back to her community through the Police Explorer Program and has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award (similar in status to Eagle Scout). She plans to study criminal justice with the goal of returning to her hometown of Tracy to help build a safer community. From Natalie: “I look to Kristin’s story as an inspiration and model of how to keep going and never give up.”

Kara is a senior from Lodi High School in Lodi, CA. She carries a 3.5 GPA in spite of a year off from high school due to a serious injury. She is involved in the San Joaquin County Youth Leadership Academy through the district attorney's office, and her work as the video editor of her school newspaper highlights her creative sense of design and creativity. She has won multiple awards for advanced architectural design in local, regional and state competitions. Kara hopes to one day own her own architectural design firm and feels a connection to Kristin through their shared interests and love for adventure.

Kaitlyn is a senior at Lincoln High School in Stockton, CA. For the second year in a row, The Kristin Smart Awareness Award is being presented in recognition of efforts to raise awareness about Kristin and her story. Keeping Kristin’s memory alive is a gift to our family, and we are honored to present this award to Kaitlyn for raising money to install remembrance benches at her high school, which was Kristin’s alma mater.Phyllis Gonzalez