By Carolina Hidalgo

When Yuliyana Kobel (2009 Teens Lead Alumna and 2010 Rose Festival Princess) was asked to answer a few questions in front of a video camera at age 10, she managed just a few words before bursting into nervous tears.

The shy fifth-grader from Portland, who had emigrated from Ukraine when she was five, had wanted to demonstrate her appreciation for Vicki and Jim Adams, her partners in a then-fledgling scholarship program, but she couldn't muster the confidence.

At that young age, Kobel couldn't grasp the significance of the Vancouver couple setting aside $100 a month for her college education through Marathon Education Partners, a Portland-based, long-term scholarship program. But she felt an instant connection to the kindly couple that took her to the Oregon Zoo and the Old Spaghetti Factory and checked up on her regularly...

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