Glenn Burdette, the leading certified public accounting firm on the Central Coast, awarded $15,000 in scholarships this past week to four local high school graduates. The scholarships were offered to future business and accounting students from Paso Robles to Santa Maria as part of the firm’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

“We chose to mark our anniversary by investing in local youth,” said Dan O’Hare, Glenn Burdette’s president and managing director. “We liked the idea of celebrating our past with an eye to the future.”

Scholarship applicants were asked to identify “50 Reasons Why Accountants Are Awesome,” have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and submit a cover letter and two letters of recommendation. Winning entries included reference from everything like how a degree in accounting offers 360 degrees of opportunities, to a reference likening accountants to kale (“the best thing for you”).

And the winners are:

Alexander Saad, Templeton High School, was awarded $5,000 toward his tuition at Santa Clara University. He plans to major in business administration and accounting.

Jack Krull, Morro Bay High School, was awarded $5,000 toward his tuition at UC Santa Barbara. He will major in economics and accounting.

Samantha Senet, Morro Bay High School, was awarded $2,500 toward her tuition at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she will major in agricultural business.

Deep Mistry, San Luis Obispo High School, was awarded $2,500 toward his tuition at UC Berkeley, where he will study business.

Winners received their awards in scholarship ceremonies held throughout the county.