College of San Mateo students Gabriel Denham, Niko Larot and Sterling He were each awarded prestigious scholarships of around $1000 by Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS), the academic honor society and service organization of the California Community Colleges.

AGS holds an annual convention each spring, at which the organization awards scholarships to students who excel in academics and/or community service. This year’s convention, held in San Jose, had 539 attendees representing 44 college chapters—the largest AGS conference ever.

At the award ceremony on Saturday, 54 student members of AGS were awarded scholarships totaling $38,400. Mr. Denham, who serves as president of CSM’s chapter, was recipient of the highly coveted and competitive Robert Mantovani award; Mr. He, who serves as the Inter-Club Council representative for the chapter, was recipient of the Kathleen D. Loly Award, which recognizes academic excellence. Mr. Larot, past president and current Inter-College chapter representative, was recipient of the Ed Walsh award, which recognizes community service.

In addition, CSM’s chapter received awards for their cheer (best use of music, best incorporation of theme, and best overall cheer) and for their nametag. As a special treat, CSM college President Michael Claire attended the banquet and awards ceremony.