The Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program held its first recognition breakfast of the 2023-2024 school year Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Murrieta Sizzler restaurant, 40489 Murrieta Hot Springs Road. Mary Walters, assistant superintendent of educational services at Murrieta Valley Unified School District, served as emcee and welcomed everyone to the event.
Founded 32 years ago in Temecula by Sally Myers, owner of Sizzler Restaurants through BMW Management Inc., the program expanded to Murrieta and then to Lake Elsinore and Perris/Menifee. Walters explained that the nonprofit’s purpose is to celebrate and honor outstanding students who make a significant difference in their schools and community. Its mission is to provide a local high school recognition program which will 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 or their ability to persevere and overcome difficult life circumstances in a setting that honors God, country, family, community and free enterprise.
Backpacks 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.
September’s students of the month are Murrieta Mesa High School’s CJ Moran, Murrieta Valley High’s Sarah Vali, Springs Charter School’s Xavier Landines and Vista Murrieta High School’s Evan Kim.
CJ Moran
Murrieta Mesa High School Principal Scott Richards praised the Student of the Month program and thanked all those responsible for putting it on.
“We get so much inspiration and joy from hearing all our students’ stories,” he said.
He introduced Moran by saying that as an incoming freshman he knew he had some big shoes to fill as his two older brothers had been tremendously successful during their time at the school. Richards said that experience taught Moran a lesson.
“Never compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 20,” he told him. “Focus on your own journey and success will follow. Remember that success is not about standing in someone else’s shadow but creating your own light and you have accomplished just that. You will leave your legacy behind at Mesa.”
Richards described Moran as “a renaissance man who is a big part of our football team and is the ultimate team player, leading with heart, passion and talent.”
Moran will be attending San Diego State University on a baseball scholarship where he plans to study kinesiology to become a physical therapist.
“I’ve always known I wanted to help people,” Moran said. “My passion grew stronger with Mesa’s Unified Leadership, a class in which peer partners known as athletes join to help promote inclusion and learn life skills through sports. This year as president, it is my goal to create and lead events that will not only benefit the athletes but more importantly will educate and spread awareness to our entire community to help build a more inclusive society.”
Sarah Vali
Murrieta Valley Principal Ryan Tukua introduced Vali as one of the school’s top-ranking seniors who is a full International Baccalaureate diploma student and has maintained straight As in all her IB and Advanced Placement classes. Vali is yearbook editor-in-chief, president of the National Honor Society and a California Scholarship Federation member. She has volunteered for Dancing with Disabilities for two years and has been a member of her community’s 4-H Club since the age of five. She held the role of president for four years, the first time when she was just 10. She currently serves as secretary and mentors future presidents. Through 4-H Club she has also been a student ambassador for Riverside County the past two years and at the state level before that. With two older brothers, Vali said she often compared their accomplishments to her own.
“This comparison is something I have struggled with since my freshman year and has led to constant self-doubt and underestimating myself,” she said. “However, this comparison has also motivated me when I felt like things were unachievable and helped me persevere through my challenges.”
She credits the rigors of the IB program for helping her discover the qualities that make her unique and is proud of who she has become.
“Overall, I have learned that I am capable of more than I believed. I can accomplish anything I set my mind to through commitment and perseverance and believing in myself,” Vali said. “I have so many amazing qualities that I want to use to help others who may feel overshadowed or unrecognized like I did.”
She is planning a career in occupational therapy.
Xavier Landines
Springs Charter School Principal Valerie Walker said her school offers students a personalized learning model that can include fully online, in-person or college and career pathways that offers options for all students. She said she was most impressed with Landines when he and his friends worked with the PTSA to create a small library for all students who utilize the K-12 campus.
“I am a student from Temecula Springs Charter School who loves God, family and nature,” he said. “For me, I’m always about self-improvement. Whether it be physically or mentally, I always strive to thrive in any environment.”
Landines said that he has learned some valuable life lessons during his journey.
“I learned the importance of perseverance and that even when things get tough, it’s crucial to keep moving forward,” he said. “I also learned the power of kindness and that simple acts of compassion can brighten anybody’s day. Family to me is everything and I’ve come to realize that cherishing these bonds is a treasure beyond measure.”
He quoted Proverbs 16:9 which said, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Landines said, “Through faith, hard work and staying true to your values, we can achieve remarkable things.”
Evan Kim
Vista Murrieta High School Principal Celeste Scallion said Kim is a standout as an exceptional student who not only excelled academically but has demonstrated his commitment to continuous learning and completing 20 semesters of Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses.
“Evan is not just a scholar,” she said. “He’s an active and engaged member of our school community.”
He plays varsity football, is senior class president and contributes to the Korean Club. Evan aspires to earn a degree in biology with a goal of building a career in biomedical research to find cures for genetic mutations.
Kim said, “One thing I had to learn coming into high school was the ability to work hard.”
He said before high school he wasn’t challenging myself and had to teach himself a better work ethic to be successful.
“It takes a lot to juggle all my extracurriculars and school,” he said.
Coach and security team member Joe Macoskey met Kim at a leadership retreat he helped chaperone two years ago where students opened up about struggles and challenges they were facing. Macoskey said the experience helped students learn that it’s okay to not be okay and created a bond with staff members that went beyond the powerful event.
Closing remarks
Murrieta Valley Unified School District Superintendent Ward Andrus said he was inspired by a comment made during the program’s opening prayer that he felt resonated throughout all the students’ speeches. It referenced demonstrating service and love and making it contagious.
“That sort of settled on me as I was listening to the students; it’s about caring at a deeper level,” he said, adding that the projects students are involved with are service related and came from a place of love. “That’s when we translate what we feel into action, into doing something about it; which is what I heard today. In the end, what matters most are the relationships that we have and that really comes through a place of love of service, care and compassion so let’s make it contagious.”
Andrus ended by sharing a comment he frequently makes, “I never doubt about our future because I know who is in our schools today.”
For more information or to participate in the program, contact LouEllen Ficke at 951-415-2250 or Sally Myers at 951-775-0520.
