2023 Scholarship Recipients
When we first set out to start a scholarship fund for skateboarders, we wanted to tell the stories of student skaters to inspire more people to go for it themselves. After working on CSEF for years, we have seen how many are already going for it and doing really special work. It can sometimes be difficult to keep up with the awesome demand for scholarships, but we do our best. And this year, we are awarding $50,000 in scholarships to the 22 hard-working skateboarders below.
We’ve continued our annual Exposure Scholarships and working with Rollin’ From The Heart to support our Poods and Zane Scholarships. We even added a new scholarship: the Atiba Jefferson Photography & Film Scholarship.
Miles Jackson
Dean’s List Scholarship ($5,000)
Miles Jackson founded a skateboarding non-profit y’all might know called Cuba Skate. In order to ensure its continued success, Miles has been furthering his education by pursuing an MBA at the University of Southern California. In his first year at USC, Miles won the community service award for the number of hours served and highlighting his dedication to the greater good. Once he completes his program in the spring of 2024, Miles aims to grow the social impact of Cuba Skate and begin new adventures in the philanthropic world.
Victoria Lara
Dean’s List Scholarship ($5,000)
Victoria is beginning her grad school journey at the Colorado School of Mines (COSM). Her love for the environment and desire to drive humanity toward a more sustainable future brought Victoria to COSM to study Hydrologic Science and Engineering. In addition to improving the world from an environmental standpoint, Victoria is an active board member of Honey Skate Club which focuses on expanding opportunities for women and LGBTQ+ individuals. She was even accepted into the inaugural Fellowship Program by the Skatepark Project.
Maxim Shapovalov
Dean’s List Scholarship ($5,000)
Max is a dedicated skateboarder who led the Skate Club at the University of California at Riverside during his undergraduate studies while also filming for full-length videos with his crew. His environmentally conscious motivation brought him to the University of Oregon, where he is working towards his Master’s degree, focusing on Remote Sensing and GIS. His goal of interpreting spatial and hydrologic data to affect climate change is noble. Meanwhile, Max is filming yet another full-length skate video with the unofficial Skate Club at the University of Oregon!
Angie Crum
Exposure Scholarship ($5,000)
Having earned a bachelor’s at the University of Colorado at Denver, Angie is beginning the journey towards a double Master’s degree (yes, DOUBLE) in Architecture and of Science Architecture Research Digital and Material Technologies at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2023. Her end goal is to use “advanced fabrication and material technologies to help alleviate social disparities experienced throughout marginalized communities.” And being the skater she is, Angie wants to construct more skateparks that are inclusive to all skill levels and disabilities. Angie is selfless in the decade of work she has done with Skate Like A Girl and as a volunteer helping build a skatepark in Havana with Cuba Skate.
Izzi Cooper
Exposure Scholarship ($5,000)
While pursuing her undergrad, Izzi discovered the Push to Heal documentary which uses the Neurosequential Model to explain the healing properties of skateboarding. This opened the floodgate of possibilities on how skateboarding could be integrated into her academic & professional career, helping lead Izzi to attend Bastyr University in pursuit of a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with the goal of becoming a therapist. She has already begun this marriage through creating a zine called “Heal Flip”, taking examples of positive changes in mental health from skateboarding for youth in Greece and Palestine. The roles Izzi’s had with Skate Like A Girl combined with her amazing academic and creative work have earned her an Exposure Scholarship with CSEF.
Mary Sullivan
RFTH Zane Timpson Scholarship ($5,000)
Mary is not only a skateboarder in Denver; she is giving back to Denver’s skateboarding community. Through her own organization, Skate Goblins, and in collaboration with Girls Skate Denver, Mary facilitates after-school programs and skate meet-ups for the youth in the local skateboarding community. All while studying photography at the Metropolitan State University of Denver mind you! Mary’s end goal is to showcase the beauty of skateboarding while highlighting our diverse community and empowering women through her work. This scholarship will help Mary to finish her degree in May 2024.
Kalista Villatoro
RFTH Ian “Poods” Barry Scholarship ($3,000)
Encinitas has been home to many influential skateboarders for generations and Kalista is no exception to that legacy. As a skateboarder and a competitive runner, she has dealt with countless injuries. This fueled a fire to better understand our body’s healing process, leading Kalista to study Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Kalista’s goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon working with all athletic types (skateboarders at the front of the line though) and dreams of developing new treatments and technologies. It all seems pretty doable given that Kalista started a small skateboard brand called First Love Skateboards aimed at females and newcomers to skateboarding in her area and has hit a semi-famous spot called THE MEGA RAMP.
LUKE LACE LACASA
Atiba Jefferson Photography & Film Scholarship ($3,000)
It all started for this San Diego native when he “borrowed” his parents’ camcorder to make videos with his friends. Though he got caught early on, nothing could stop Luke’s desire to document those around him. He has filmed and edited multiple locally well-known San Diego videos (Playhouse is a much watch), but Luke’s goals are larger than that. Luke is currently in the 4th year of his MFA in Film Directing at UCLA. As a Filipino-American from a rough neighborhood, he aims to create opportunities for actors and crew members of color to shine in his future projects.