Duo awarded $10K for college

NEWPORT BEACH — Charlie Umansky has competed in a variety of sports at Estancia High School, including water polo, basketball, golf, track and field, swimming and volleyball. He knows plenty about the rivalry with Costa Mesa High School and the Battle for the Bell.

But there wasn’t any need for battling Tuesday morning at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach. He saw an opportunity to celebrate with a supposed rival.

Umansky and Dasha Farris each were awarded a $10,000 scholarship, as the two seniors were picked among 12 finalists as winners of the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Fund. The scholarships are a joint partnership between the tournament and Toshiba America Information Systems, Digital Products Division.

So how did it feel for Umansky that a rival also won a scholarship?

“I think it’s great, both of us representing Costa Mesa,” he said. “I think it’s awesome that we both won it.”

Umansky and Farris were officially honored in front of about 450 people at the Breakfast With A Champion event presented by the Allergan Foundation. They were featured in Thursday’s Daily Pilot.

World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite answered questions as the featured speaker of the event.

He posed for pictures with the duo from Costa Mesa afterward. Kite has won 19 PGA Tour titles, including the 1992 U.S. Open. He talked about that win.

Umansky and Farris certainly felt victorious Tuesday morning.

“It felt amazing,” Farris said of winning the scholarship. “You feel that all of your hard work has finally paid off.”

Farris, who was introduced as Daria, but also goes by Dasha, knows plenty about hard work. She moved to the U.S. when she was 10 after living in Russia. In six months, she learned English and after a year she said she didn’t feel shy to just speak her new language.

Now she’s learning Spanish. She’s also the school’s president and keeps herself busy with charity work, too. She’s a leader for her local Make-A-Wish club.

Farris and Umansky both said they were surprised to be selected.

“They all did great things,” Umansky said of the finalists. “I felt pretty honored to be a recipient of the scholarship.”

Umansky impressed many with his resume.

In addition to athletics, he also worked as the editor-in-chief of The Talon, the school’s newspaper. He plays in the school’s jazz band and also spends time catching waves with the surf team.

The two remain undecided on their college. Farris wants to go to Georgetown or UCLA. Umansky said it would be great for someone from Estancia to go to MIT.