2013 Bruin Scholarship Recipients


Harrison Jung
Harrison Jung
From infectious hip-hop dancer to financial policy analyst, Harrison Jung is a young man of many talents. He is also a two-sport varsity athlete, accomplished scholar, Eagle Scout and longtime Bruins player, coach and volunteer. A senior at Flintridge Preparatory School, Harrison is praised for his maturity and leadership abilities. As a student intern in the Office of the California State Controller, Harrison worked on financial literacy and other projects and quickly distintinguished himself for his analytical and writing talents, leadership, people skills and diligence, says the office’s external affairs director, Pearl Fu. As the school’s hip hop club president, he “wowed” others with his dance and choreography, says Hilary Thomas, the school’s dance teacher. When he became president of the multi-school Pasadena Dance Outreach Company, he used dance as a healing therapy for those with Down Syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease and other afflictions. “It is rare to see a young person with so much talent who is fiercely dedicated to using his gifts to make a positive difference in his community,” Thomas writes. Harrison’s academic honors include Dean’s List, Honor Roll and California Scholarship Federation with a 3.65 unweighted GPA. He aims to attend a four-year university with a possible focus on pre-law, communications or journalism. A varsity athlete in basketball and volleyball, Harrison was earlier selected for two consecutive years as JV captain and Coach’s Award recipient in both sports. He is also a black belt in Taekwondo-Karate. The son of Curtis C. Jung and Lynn Hatashita-Jung, Harrison played for the Bruins Blazing Blue from 2001-2012 and volunteered as a Pee Wee clinic assistant coach for five years. He advocates loosening restrictions on non-Japanese players in CYC to insure the future of the Bruins organization while maintaining its Japanese American identity. Harrison’s community activities are numerous. He repaved and painted the Pasadena Buddhist Temple parking lot for his 2010 Eagle Scout Service Project and received the Amy Utsunomiya Memorial Youth Community Service Award for it. He has also performed community service for Lacy Park, Huntington Hospital, the Tournament of Rose, Pasadena Marathon, Union Station and others. Ultimately, Harrison says he wants to start a family and share his passion for basketball with his children.


Jane Martinez
Jane Martinez wants to make a difference in the lives of both young and old. As an assistant coach for the Battling Bruins, she helps her 4th-grade boys with drills, warm-ups and stretches. And as an aspiring gerontologist or psychiatrist, she aims to help the elderly with dementia or mental illness after seeing her own grandmother struggle with disease. The senior at Westridge School is a quiet leader and diligent student imbued with character and integrity in all she undertakes, says Melanie A. Horn, the school’s athletic director. “She often ‘digs deep’ to find that added motivation to attain her goals both in basketball as well as in the classroom,” Horn writes. The daughter of Maurice Martinez and Denise Nakamura, Jane is a two-sport varsity athlete with four years of basketball and two of lacrosse. She played for the Pasadena Bruins Kumas team from 2004 – 2011 and has helped coach the Battling Bruins since 2009. She has also helped out with the team’s annual basketball camp and a referee training scrimmage. Her ideas for improving the Bruins includes developing a stronger sense of community through a big brother/big sister program for older players to mentor younger ones and fostering youth leadership skills through a teen committee to organize Bruins events. “Without a doubt, she has been a great representation of what the Pasadena Bruins can teach a younger person and now she has chosen to help and share her knowledge with the next generation of participants,” writes Ruem Malasarn, the Battling Bruins’ head coach. Jane is actively involved in high school and community activities. They include the Multicultural Affinity Group, Basketball Fan Club, Student Voices to organize cultural events, Service Committee to lead school tours and the Science Olympiad Club. She volunteers at Keiro Senior HealthCare and serves as a teacher’s aide at McKinley School; she also volunteered for the Sierra Madre Community Nursing School and the Hopi Nation. She has a 3.34 unweighted GPA and aims to attend a four-year university. She also dreams of opening her own bakery and traveling around the world.


Hayley Matsumoto
Hayley Matsumoto is a top honors student and leader in her academic and religious communities. Yet as impressive as her external accomplishments are her inner qualities of integrity, character and ethics. A senior at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Hayley is in the top 6% of her class with an unweighted 3.81 GPA. She is a member of the Honor Roll and National Honor Society. But she maintains a healthy perspective on life. “Far too many students are obsessed with GPA and disregard the elements of character which define ethical work,” writes Patricia LeSomptier Kavanagh, her Advanced Placement English teacher. “Hayley’s integrity and focus are consistent..it is astounding to find such maturity in such youth.” At Marshall, Hayley serves as class vice-president this year and secretary last year. She is a member of the Key Club International, Asian Club, Model United Nations and founder and vice-president of the Special Needs Activities Society. The daughter of Mark and Cindy Matsumoto, Hayley played for the Bruins Kumas from 2002 to 2011 and is an assistant coach for the Battling Bruins 4th-grade boys. She was also an assistant coach for the Bruins Pee Wee clinic. To improve the Bruins, Hayley suggests a program to reinforce the values of sportsmanship, commitment and responsibility to minimize drama, keep teams united and the organization’s spirit strong. She models such values as an active community volunteer with the Oxnard Buddhist Temple. Her commitment to her family’s Buddhist tradition prompts her to make an hour-long drive to attend weekly services and serve as president of the temple’s Young Buddhist Association. “In a society that often prizes self-advancement over harmony, the kindness and humility that I have observed in Hayley’s interactions with people of all ages and backgrounds…has shown me that she possesses exceptional integrity,” writes the temple’s Rev. Henry Adams. Hayley has also volunteered for the Pasadena Educational Foundation, Rose Bowl, Ventura County Fair, Our School Preschool and Kindergarten and other organizations. She plans to attend college with a strong interest in working with children. But she says, “It is also important to live in the present and give back to the community and become a better person.”

Scholarship Information
In 2001, the Pasadena Bruins held their first annual Pasadena Bruins Scholarship Golf Tournament. Funds raised during this tournament directly support the scholarships. The inspiration for this tournament is our youth. The Pasadena Bruins provide scholarships to graduating seniors who have participated in our program. The scholarship acknowledges a Bruin who best exemplifies integrity, responsibility, and values and who can be a role model for all of the participants in the organization. The scholarship rewards well rounded individuals with accomplishments academically, athletically and in their community. The organization would like to assist and encourage our future generations to keep striving towards their goals.


2012-2013 Bruins Scholarship Application
Word Document Format