Meet the 2026 Bag Hefti Scholars | Bag's Buddies Virginia Beach
Our biggest scholarship class ever: more than $36,000 awarded to nine outstanding student-athletes across Virginia Beach and Woodbridge — meet the three $10,000 winners.
Meet the 2026 Bag Hefti Scholars!
Our biggest scholarship class ever: more than $36,000 awarded to nine outstanding student-athletes across Virginia Beach and Woodbridge — three $10,000 winners and six finalists. Bag would be proud of every one of them.
Alaina Ibanez — Tallwood High School — $10,000 Winner
Two-year varsity soccer captain, Student Council leader, and Spanish Honor Society VP, Alaina leads with what she calls "quiet stewardship" — checking in on freshmen, making sure every voice gets heard, and putting the team before the armband. She's headed to UVA to study biology on her way to becoming a pediatric physician assistant. "A lovely balance of quiet strength, humility, and a powerful voice — a magnetic presence."
Jacey Seim — Cox High School — $10,000 Winner
Four-year varsity basketball player and team captain, Jacey somehow also found time to sew more than 150 "surgery bears" for kids at CHKD, hand out blessing bags across our homeless community, volunteer in hospice care, and work 30 hours a week — all while keeping nearly straight A's. She's off to Virginia Tech to study nutrition and psychology. "Calm, humble, and completely intentional when she speaks."
Alessandra Morales — Woodbridge High School — $10,000 Winner
From Bag's own alma mater! One of the only girls on Woodbridge's wrestling team, Alessandra didn't just hold her ground — she built a community, helping grow a girls' wrestling squad of more than 15 athletes. As a sophomore, she gave up her hard-earned spot to wrestle a heavier weight class so a teammate could make the team — then placed at districts anyway. "She never quits," says her coach. A three-year lacrosse captain carrying a 4.0+ GPA, she's headed to Virginia Tech, where she plans to keep mentoring girls stepping into spaces where they're the first ones through the door.
Our 2026 Finalists — $1,000 each
Robert Covington (First Colonial), Madison Naidyhorski (Kellam, headed to UVA this fall!), Zion Artis-Bruce (Green Run), Ekaterina Smagliy (Bayside), Gavin Nau (Woodbridge), and Ivan Ponce (Woodbridge). Nine schools' worth of pride, one team.
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Play Hard, Have Fun, Same Team.