Lakewood High's Brittian Foster humbled to receive scholarship

Not many high school students have an advanced perspective on their lives ahead.

Brittian Foster is definitely an exception.

He is proud of his achievements, but has a distinct focus on future successes and never loses sight of the goal of happiness for his family.

So far, so good on that front as Foster, a senior at Lakewood High, is the recipient of the Hunsaker Award, named a Rich and Giie Hunsaker, and will be attending the University of Redlands in the fall under the scholarship.

Rich Hunsaker graduated from Long Beach Jordan in 1948 and Foster is the first student from the Long Beach Unified School District to win the award. The scholarship has been noted as the most prestigious the University has to offer and will offer Foster an all-expenses paid opportunity to continue his growth.

He was nominated by Millikan alum John Peale, who is his admissions counselor, and was eventually chosen out of a large pool of applicants and nominees based on his academic success and his work in the community.

Foster served as the captain of the Lancers’ basketball team, Physics Club President and as a mentor for the Teens Organization in Lakewood.

He actually only applied for one scholarship, the Bill Gates Milleial Award (which he also won), and said he is proud to receive two because of the financial burden his mother will not have to face.

“Coming into senior year my goal was to get a CIF ring and ensure that I wouldn’t have to pay for student loans,” Foster said. “After Fall League, I told my mom I was going to make sure that she wouldn’t have to pay for my college. Me keeping that promise makes the scholarship even better. To me, the scholarship means that my mom can finally live her life. She sacrificed so much and she deserves it.

“My ultimate goal would be to graduate,” he added. “I know it would really make my mom proud knowing that as a single mother she did everything in her power with little to no help, to know that her work paid off.”

Foster hopes to continue his path of community service at Redlands, while helping the team succeed.

“During my time at the University, I hope to establish deep ties within the university in the city of Redlands,” he said. “I hope to win a ring with the basketball team and I hope to get my degrees as I am majoring in engineering and they have a program which would be three years at the University and then I would transfer to Columbia or Washington of St. Louis for my second degree.”

The student-athlete has an understanding well beyond his years when it comes to life balance, saying he has and will continue to take his academics just as seriously, if not more so, than he does basketball.

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“Basketball, outside of home, has given me something to coect to,” he said. “It has kept me positive and given me leadership qualities. It also gave me a source of discipline and it taught me that continuously working at something is worth it.

“Also take your grades seriously, it’s not all fun and games,” he added. “You could be a really good player, but if you don’t have the grades you’re not going to be able to play; you may have a scholarship but if you get hurt they can take the scholarship away from you, then you’re stuck with the dependence on your academic skills, so make sure you take it seriously. Start doing scholarships early; don’t wait until the last minute like I did. I lucked out, but not everyone is as lucky as me.”

Redlands head coach Jim Ducey, a 1978 graduate of the University, feels that Foster will be a great fit for the school and the basketball program and said he is excited to have the young player coming aboard.

“We are obviously excited about having a skilled athlete that has such a fantastic academic record,” he said. “We look forward to seeing Brittian’s successes on the court and within our solid academic setting. I am anxious to work with him.”