Los Alamitos High School junior Madelyn Payne got accepted to the Global Youth Summit on the Future of Medicine at Brandeis University last year but she had to defer because her family couldn’t afford the tuition. But this year, she was offered a 50 percent scholarship, however, wasn’t sure she could raise the other half.
As soon as co-founder of Five Star Financial Services of America, LLC, John Biyikoglu found out he knew he wanted to help. Biyikoglu and co-founder, Anna Holt, immediately cut a check for the $1,500 that Madelyn needed to secure enrollment.
“High achievement needs to be rewarded,” affirmed Biyikoglu. “Everything we do at Five Star to help people with their financial well-being allows us to help deserving individuals and charitable organizations that help people in need.”
Five Star is an Irvine based insurance and financial services company that supports a wide range of projects including American Mobility Foundation. AMF receives donations of refurbished power chairs then gives them to residents of nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to help people gain mobility. Five Star also supports a number of veterans and first responder service organizations such as Veteran’s First of OC, VA Benefits, Love a Hero, and Bumblebee Foundation that helps families of child cancer patients.
Biyikoglu and Holt always choose projects with a personal connection. As health insurance and financial services professionals they support Madelyn’s attendance at the summit which is focused on the future of the health care industry. Also, both of them are parents of a high-achieving, highly motivated daughter and want to give others the advantages they offer their own children.
“Thirty years in financial services has allowed me to send my children to top schools,” said Holt. “Now, my daughter is completing her Master’s in Public Healthcare Administration. I’m grateful that I can afford it, but would be devastated if I didn’t have the finances to help my children achieve their dreams.”
That is also why they became a sponsor for USA Deaf Swim Program in the Inland Empire, are a major Rotary Club sponsor where Biyikoglu is an active member, and they seized the opportunity to provide the scholarship to Madelyn.
More than anything, Madelyn wants to attend a top science and technology school after she graduates from Los Alamitos High School next year. She has a deep-seeded love of science that she only discovered in high school. Besides the Medical Summit at Brandeis, she is attending MOSTEC – MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community, a six month online Science and Engineering enrichment program. It is one of several fully funded MIT summer technology programs designed to increase student exposure to science and engineering.
With the Five Star Scholarship and family help, Madelyn can now afford the tuition and transportation to attend both programs that are so important to her future career goals.
“Her mother works two jobs to get by,” said Biyikoglu. ”She’s a straight A student, while competing in two varsity sports. The question isn’t ‘Why would we help?’” Biyikoglu said. “The question is ‘How could we not help?’”
