Students awarded laptops

While the big action for the golf world at the Toshiba Classic is on the green, a different kind of achievement was recognized back at Toshiba headquarters, as local students won top honors in the 2009 Toshiba Classic Scholarship Awards.

Twelve students, including four from Newport-Mesa Unified School District, won new Toshiba laptops in front of a crowd of their parents, company employees and Hoag Hospital Foundation members.

The program picks one student from each high school in three local school districts, including Newport-Mesa, to honor for academic achievement, community involvement and character. This year marks the 10th that Toshiba has given out laptops and scholarship money, said Jake Rohrer, director of major gifts for the Hoag Hospital Foundation.

“It’s been a pleasure to see this grow, but it’s also been a pleasure to see so many amazing students over the years,” Rohrer said.

Cori Chapin, 18, from Estancia High School, was one of two contestants who won even higher honors: a $10,000 scholarship.

“I didn’t think my hard work would pay off like this,” Chapin said.

As much as the scholarship will help Chapin, who said she plans to go to school in California and hopes to become an adoption social worker, she expressed at least as much enthusiasm for the laptop.

“I didn’t have a computer before,” she said. “This is really going to help.”

Other Newport-Mesa honorees were Maggie Flicker of Corona del Mar High School, Aurora Garcia of Costa Mesa High School, and Alice Cope of Newport Harbor High School.

These awards are a core part of the company’s community involvement every year, said Toshiba America Information Systems President Mark Simons.

“This is a big part of what we are to the community,” he said. “We have pride in the education process.”

Reporter MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes.com.