The parents of a teenager who died during soccer warm-ups at the Rancho Bernardo Recreation Center in March have started a memorial scholarship in honor of their son, Jonathan Vassiliadis.
Jonathan, 14, attended Bernardo Heights Middle School and loved playing soccer with his Rancho Bernardo Tsunamis team. The teen had been in good shape and was not taking any medications, his parents have said.
The Medical Examiner's final 10-page report said he died from cardiac arrest due to natural causes, said his mother, Ismene, but there was no medical reason for his death. “His heart was in perfect shape,” she said.
Jonathan's parents decided to establish an annual $1,500 scholarship because his soccer jersey number was 15, Vassiliadis said yesterday. Students at the middle school have raised $500 for this year's award but additional donations for the scholarship fund can be sent to Poway Unified School District's Partners in Education program.
This year, the scholarship will be given June 13 to an eighth-grader in Jonathan's Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, class, which helps motivate and prepare students for college. The scholarship will be announced today, Vassiliadis said.Labels: free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
