The Colony senior wins O’Brien Scholarship
Whether it’s at a swim meet or in the classroom, The Colony High School senior Raymar Turangan has always pushed himself to succeed.
On Tuesday at a Fort Worth Club luncheon, the Davey O’Brien Foundation named Turangan the winner of the 30th annual Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship, a $30,000 award.
“I view swimming as something that wakes me up and teaches me the discipline necessary to stay focused on my academic endeavors,” said Turangan, who is in the pool by 6:15 a.m. “Every morning I use that cold water, it kind of sucks, but I use it to wake myself up and get ready for the rest of the day.”
Turangan ranks second in a class of 481, with a 5.17 grade-point average on a weighted 4.0 scale. In UIL swimming, Turangan excels in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 backstroke, winning district medals and qualifying for regional competitions in both events.
“I’m really happy and really surprised that I won,” Turangan said. “I’d like to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am to be a finalist among these accomplished people. It means the world to me that I won this award. Thank you.”
The four other finalists, William Caldwell (Dallas St. Mark’s), Sage McAdams (Plano West), Savannah Norman (Fort Worth Country Day) and Seth Reine (Arlington Martin), were awarded $2,500 scholarships.
“Speaking for myself, I don’t think there’s a harder task I have every year,” said scholarship committee chairman David O’Brien Jr., son of the award’s namesake. “There are almost 100 applicants and every one is of them is outstanding, but these five were truly outstanding.”
Turangan will also be honored Feb. 15 at the 39th annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner. Also in attendance will be Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award winner Deshaun Watson, Davey O’Brien Legends Award presented by Low T Center recipient Craig Morton and Charles Ringler Founder’s Award honoree Verne Lundquist.
This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 8:27 PM with the headline "The Colony senior wins O’Brien Scholarship."