Local Teen Honored at State Capitol

When Brooke Wenig finished her college applications earlier this year, she simply switched to a different pile of applications.

Wenig, 17, applied for a slew of college scholarships through a variety of businesses and organizations. That work has paid off in spades as she’s racked up six scholarships totaling $38,000 towards.

For her latest honor, Wenig traveled to Sacramento Thursday to accept a $1,000 scholarship from Comcast, part of $200,000 in scholarships doled out by the media and telecom giant. Wenig was nominated by Tamiscal officials for the award.

“It’s been pretty exciting,” says Wenig, who had a 3.98 grade point average. “The scholarships are spread out over four years but it’ll be a nice help towards tuition.”

Wenig, a before she transferred to Tamiscal for her senior year, is attending University of California at Los Angeles in the fall, where she plans to study biophysics and Chinese. She also plans to join the school’s cycling and triathlon teams, as she transitioned to road racing this year after a stint on the .

In addition to the Comcast scholarship, , as well as scholarships from the Marin Garden Club, the Rotary Foundation of Ignacio, the Society of Women Engineers and Best Buy.

Wenig founded Project Green Lunch Club, which focused on bringing healthier foods to her school’s cafeteria. She’s also the vice president of Teens Turning Green and Tamiscal’s Environmental Club and gives speeches to inspire others to live healthier, greener lives.