Doug Hollenbeck
"Coach Manjarrez helped mold my attitude towards sports and academics. Paul changed my loife for the better through directly helping me become a better athlete and a better person. Principles established in me by Coach Manjarrez helped me understand the concepts of teamwork and leadership as demonstrated by my being elected captain of the football, wrestling and track teams. As an overweight 5th grader, I began playing football for Coach Manjarrez. He helped me overcome many obstacles that year (including losing 30 lbs. in 3 weeks to participate) by encouraging me to be more confident, set goals and push myself to my mental and physical limits. I believe that that year in football changed my life forever. It molded me into the man I am today and set me on the proper track to become a skilled athlete as well as a good citizen. Throughout high school, I tried to use Paul's teachings in order to overcome failure, laziness and injuries. As a senior, I broke my foot playing football and the only thing that brought me back to sports was my goal setting, and my mental toughness, two attributes which are directly connected to the way that Coach Manjarrez taught me." - Doug | Melinda "Jasmine" Sabeti
"Being abroad has made me realize that there's a spirit of compassion that is very much alive and unparalleled in the United States. It's like a fever, and people like Paul, Doug, and I were lucky enough to catch it. It's the desire to give up a little bit of yourself to make a world of difference in someone else's life. And, it doesn't take much; it just takes everything you've got. It just takes every waking moment thinking about how to help someone else, anyone else. When I received the award, I was honored that someone recognized this sort of compassion in me. People like Coach Manjarrez are one in a million, and to be associated with a man that so obviously inspired so many young people is an honor. When I first realized I won the award, this is what made me the most happy, realizing that I'm being put on a pedestal next to a great man that gave a lot and didn't ask for a thing in return. Being a recipient of this scholarship means that Coach Manjarrez and the Manjarrez family are continuing to give when they don't have to; and, that means a lot to me." - Jasmine |