The Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program held its January recognition breakfast at the Murrieta Valley USD Early Learning Center on Jan. 15. Emcee Mary Walters welcomed everyone to the breakfast and explained that the long-standing program, founded by Sally Myers of BMW Management/Sizzler restaurants, celebrates and honors outstanding students who make significant differences in their schools and community.
The organization’s mission is to acknowledge college and trade school-bound seniors for their character, their love of learning and their commitment to academics in addition to their participation in athletics, school activities, community service and/or their ability to persevere and overcome difficult life circumstances in a setting that honors God, country, family, community and free enterprise.
Large tote bags filled with gifts, certificates of recognition, and 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 Murrieta Mesa High School’s Kylie Cason, Murrieta Valley High School’s Lily Johnson, Springs Charter School’s David Escalante and Vista Murrieta High School’s Christopher Lee.
Kylie Cason
Murrieta Mesa High School Principal Scott Richards said, “Today we recognize a senior who truly embodies the full Murrieta Mesa experience—athletics, academics, leadership, service, culture, and heart.” Kylie is a four-year cheer and stunt team member and varsity cheer captain. She has played soccer most of her life and is a four-year AVID student and tutor. “She comes from a big family with a twin sister and nine siblings, so leadership and collaboration have always been part of who she is,” Richards said. Kylie said her goal is to one day work with children, helping them learn, grow and feel supported. She said one of the most difficult obstacles she faced during her school life happened last September when she lost her brother who was also her best friend. “This is not something I can say I’ve overcome because loss like that never truly goes away,” Kylie said. “Instead, I’m learning what life looks like with someone missing from my life. If there’s one thing I learned from my brother, it is to keep going even when things get rough and to live life to the fullest. I try to honor him by doing just that.” Coach Jessica Nickel said, “I have had the pleasure of coaching Kylie for four years on cheer. I can always count on her to lead our team and remain true to herself. She is also a great role model.”
Lily Johnson
Murrieta Valley High School Principal Stephen Diephouse said, “When we talk about what it means to be a Nighthawk, Lily is the perfect example.” Lily maintains a 4.4 GPA, having challenged herself with numerous AP and IB courses throughout her high school career. “Lily’s accomplishments extend far beyond the classroom,” Diephouse said. “She’s an outstanding athlete, a four-year member of the girls varsity soccer team, and has been the cornerstone of the program, leading her team this season with skill, determination, and heart.” Lily said one of the biggest life lessons she has learned is based on the quote, “The desert teaches you more about water than the ocean ever could.” To her, this means you can never find the true value of something until you experience its absence. “You cannot truly experience success if you haven’t had those hard nights, those failures, those early mornings of practices and studying,” Lily said. English teacher Julie Inouye said Lily is a dream student whose academic diligence and positivity is on full display. “She is one of my most insightful and prolific writers,” Inouye said. “It is a rare student that can balance academics and athletics and shine in both spheres, and Lily does it.” The outstanding senior is an early college athlete signee and will continue her soccer career next year at the University of San Diego, where she plans to major in biomedical engineering.
David Escalante
Springs Charter School’s Venture online education program principal, Jackie Dee, praised David for maintaining excellent grades while working a minimum of 20 hours a week at Stater Bros. “He is balancing school work and a job and is known for his strong work ethic, his reliability and his maturity,” Dee said. “He is highly self-directed and motivated and is currently completing a CTE pathway in emergency response.” David said a personal obstacle he had to overcome was being social. “For a long time, talking to people didn’t come naturally to me,” he said. “I was quite nervous in conversations and sometimes avoided speaking up when needed. Even when I had something important to say, I used to worry about saying the wrong thing or not being confident enough.” Everything changed when he got a job that required him to talk to many people every day. He plans to attend trade school to pursue a job as a welder. He likes hands-on work and the precision and skill that this career requires. His home room teacher, Jennifer Brenner, said she chose David for his capable communication. She had no idea he ever struggled with it. His other teachers appreciate his willingness to take in feedback when something is not quite right. “He’s always ready to grow and show that he can improve and do better,” Brenner said.
Christopher Lee
Vista Murrieta High School Principal Celeste Scallion introduced Christopher by saying, “Today we are honored to recognize a student who embodies character, leadership, attitude, scholarship, and service. Academically, Christopher ranks second in his class with an exceptional 4.63 GPA.” Beyond the classroom, Christopher is a builder and a problem solver, Scallion said. As co-founder and president of AstroHacks, he led Southern California’s largest high school hackathon, bringing together more than 100 students, industry judges from companies such as Nvidia and Amazon, and earned more than $120,000 in scholarships, creating access and opportunity for students who are often underrepresented in technology. Christopher has always loved tech, computers, and anything STEM. After learning about hackathons in his freshman year from a YouTube video, he spent more than eight months raising enough money and student involvement to host AstroHacks. The experience taught him many important things. “One is to train yourself to take the step even if you feel fear or doubt,” Christopher said. “It’s always better to have failed knowing you did something wrong than never knowing what could have happened.” He also co-founded Computer Science Scholars with former VMHS Student of the Month Carlos Ramirez to teach free computer science lessons to middle school students. Christopher hopes to attend Stanford or UC Berkeley to study mechanical engineering and business.
For more information or to participate in the program, please contact Rhonda LaVigne at 951-696-1600, ext. 1026 or rlavigne@murrieta.k12.ca.us.
