The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program, recognizing and inspiring academic excellence since the 1992-1993 school year, held its awards breakfast on Jan. 8 at the Murrieta Sizzler restaurant, 40489 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd.
Holly Wilson, Director of Admissions at Linfield Christian School, emceed the event for Sally Myers who founded the nonprofit program that partners with the Chamber. Wilson welcomed everyone and shared the mission of the local high school recognition program which sets the criteria for the students who are chosen.
Supported by the community, college or vocational/trade school-bound seniors are acknowledged and honored for their character, their love of learning and their willingness to participate in numerous activities such as campus events, athletics and community service or the ability to persevere and overcome difficult life circumstances. They accomplish all this in a setting that honors God, country, community, family and free enterprise.
Backpacks filled with gifts, certificates of recognition and much more were donated by the program’s sponsors to the award recipients. Each student was invited to the podium to share their personal story, past challenges and future goals with a room full of supporters that included principals, teachers, peers and family members, as well as community and school district dignitaries.
January’s students of the month are Chaparral High School’s Caden Twiss, Great Oak’s Sofia Latapie, Linfield Christian’s Adelina Taylor, Rancho Christian’s Karissa Sokoloski, Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac Catholic High School’s Emily Minniear, Temecula Preparatory High School’s CJ Slade, and Temecula Valley’s Sahar “Mina” Jabarkhiel.
Caden Twiss
Chaparral High School Principal Tina Miller described Caden as a positive leader and an influencer on campus. Growing up with a speech impediment, Caden attended speech therapy three times a week through fifth grade. “It took time, effort, and dedication but because of that work, you wouldn’t even know I had one today,” he said. That lesson became a cornerstone in his life and inspired him to be involved in ASB for the past eight years. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside some of my closest friends and incredible teachers who lead by example and inspire me to become a better leader every day.” He has been a student section leader for the school’s Puma Pit working passionately to try to make every student feel included and create new ways to keep students engaged. This led to the Puma Pit winning national honors in 2025. Caden has been an Explorer with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for three years and said role models at the station have taught him what it means to serve and give back to the community. “They have also inspired me to continue to serve my community as a police officer,” he said. Caden also plans to attend college to earn a degree in psychology or criminology.
Sofia Latapie
Great Oak High School Principal Amber Lane introduced Sofia as a full diploma IB student who stands out for her intellect, her curiosity, and her fierce advocacy for others. Sofia plans to attend Claremont McKenna College to study public affairs and econometrics. “My interest in public policy began in Long Beach where I saw that even strong communities can struggle when systems stop working as they should,” Sofia said. “When my family moved to Temecula, I discovered something special, a city grounded in connection and care.” Within the Temecula Valley Youth Symphony, Sofia created a community outreach program to connect the ensemble with local venues and make music performances and education more accessible across the valley. “At Great Oak, I revitalized our student newspaper to highlight student voices and founded the Wolfpack Community Service Award to recognize students who dedicate their time to helping others,” Sofia said. “As president of the City of Temecula’s Youth Innovators, I also help organize low-cost community events and programs such as the College Fair and STEM Camp to benefit and empower local youth. These projects represent what I believe is my greatest contribution—helping to build pathways for others to contribute, learn, lead, and serve.
Adelina Taylor
Linfield Christian High School Assistant Principal Dani Hawes said Adelina’s spirit and involvement attracts students from all grade levels. She is debate team captain and is outstanding in the biomed pathway she is part of, but what brings her joy is her music. Adelina plans to major in psychology at Biola University. She said the most significant life lesson she has learned is that all skills require time and effort to learn. “Time is one of the greatest gifts we get. However, with all the busyness and craziness of our lives, it feels like we have less and less of it. In the words of my violin teacher, ‘You have time for everything you make time for.’ That statement really stuck with me and allowed me to take responsibility for how I spend my time. Now I’m learning to be intentional with my time,” she said. Instrumental Music teacher Doug Knechtel said Adelina came late to the band program, teaching herself to play flute this past summer and ended up in second chair. “She jumps in with two feet, she makes things work when there’s not necessarily a clear path and we’re very pleased to have her in the band program,” he said.
Karissa Sokoloski
Rancho Christian High School Principal Doris Jackson said Karissa has the exceptional ability to excel in academics and the arts where her true passion is theater. She has completed more than 1,000 hours of community service. “Every year, I work with my grandparents and Paralyzed Veterans of America to do two events, Operation Desert Fun in Anza Borrego Desert and the Easter Event at California Avenue School in Vista,” Karissa said. She has been volunteering since she was 12 and said it gives her the opportunity to give back to the disabled community in a way that she loves. “I’ve also learned a lot from the harder moments in my life,” she said. “When I was 10, I lost my dad very suddenly one night of a heart attack right in front of my eyes. For a long time, I didn’t know how to make sense of it. But over time, I realized something important. I could let that moment break me or I could let it shape me. I chose to let it shape me.” Karissa said she learned true patience and resilience through her mother and that her father taught her that you can’t give up when bad things happen.
Emily Minniear
Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac Catholic High School Principal Fred Romo told Emily he knows she is going to go out into the world and make a positive impact. “I want to begin by thanking God,” she said. “It is through my Catholic faith that I truly believe every opportunity I’ve had, including this one, have been guided by him. Growing up I watched my eldest brother with autism work with incredible occupational therapists. I saw how they took the time to listen to him, encourage him, and help him feel confident in who he was. It was those moments that taught me empathy. That experience inspired my dream to become an occupational therapist. I love the idea of helping people feel capable and independent again. To me, real impact happens when people feel seen, heard, and supported. I am excited to keep learning and serving wherever God takes me.” Emily is ASB President and her advisor Lauren Mora Vergara said Emily has a selfless desire to uplift others. She is part of FFA, NHS, CSF and serves as varsity cheer team captain. “Her involvement is not driven by recognition or a means to an end but by a sincere desire to strengthen the community she belongs to,” Mora Vergara said.
CJ Slade
Temecula Preparatory High School Upper Dean Garrett Corduan said CJ and his family have lived and traveled all around the world and that the school is lucky that they landed at the school when CJ was in eighth grade. He said the well-rounded student boasts a 5.0 GPA for the first semester of his senior year. “We’re a small school and as classes reach those higher levels, sometimes the numbers get really small in classes,” Corduan said. CJ is also on the cross country and track teams, a leader on the robotics team, a member of choir and has held leading roles in several musicals at the school. CJ said the most important lesson he learned and will take to college is to just be himself. “As a very introverted person, I’ve always been scared of big groups, parties, speeches, but over time I learned that I’m not actually scared of those things, I was scared of being rejected,” he said. Therefore, he would try to be a fake version of himself that he thought people would like. “As cliché as it is, you really have to just be yourself in everything that you do. If you are comfortable and confident with who you are, people will like that.”
Sahar “Mina” Jabarkhiel
Temecula Valley High School Principal Donna Lione asked Sahar for three words that her friends would use to describe her, and they are: determined, confident, and kind. “Those attributes are on display in everything she does,” Lione said. With a 4.4 GPA and completion of a three-year CTE Automotive Program pathway, Sahar hopes to attend UC, San Diego and pursue a career as a physician. Sahar said, “I believe that learning is a privilege and not a given. And I wish I was wrong. In August 2021, the Taliban seized control of the Afghan government. Soon after, they denied women the right to a public education. I am an Afghan American girl. Even though my parents had moved to America in 1998, I soon realized if they hadn’t, I would have been one of those girls. I would have had my education stripped from me and with it, my future.” This made Sahar realize her education is her biggest opportunity. “If my hardest job is to learn and to study, then I’ve got it pretty easy,” she said. Teacher Jennifer Burlingham said, “Mina actively seeks out feedback and uses it thoughtfully. She doesn’t shy away from complex topics and big ideas.”
For more information, please contact Program Chair Liz Schuch at 951-676-5090 or liz@temecula.org.
