The Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program held the kickoff breakfast of the 2024-2025 school year at the Murrieta Sizzler restaurant, 40489 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd., Sept. 19. Program founder Sally Myers welcomed everyone to the event that celebrates and honors outstanding students who make a significant difference in their schools and community.
Myers shared the nonprofit organization’s mission statement for the program that partners closely with the Chamber of Commerce, the Murrieta Unified School District and the City of Murrieta to provide a local high school recognition program. The purpose 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 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.
September’s students of the month are Murrieta Mesa High School’s Tristen Guidi, Murrieta Valley High’s Taylor Anyansi, Springs Charter School’s Ethan Bringhurst and Vista Murrieta High School’s Regina Escobar Campos.
Tristen Guidi
Murrieta Mesa Principal Scott Richards said staff overwhelmingly chose Tristen, aka “T-Money” for this honor because “he is a local legend.” He said the senior is an incredible leader in the school’s Unified Sports Leadership program. “As president, he brings a smile to every situation, spreads kindness and makes sure all students feel included and valued,” Richards said. “He has been a shining ambassador, not only for our campus but for the entire region. He has been the face of IE Unified games, IE Special Olympics and even the CIF Unified games. He is also a member of Mesa’s Unified swim team which had its inaugural season last year and is the only Unified swim team in Riverside County.” He added, “When we talk about inclusivity and building a strong campus culture, Tristen is at the center of it all; he is truly an inspiration to us all.” Natalee Boggs is Mesa’s Unified Sports Leadership coordinator and collaborated with Tristen on a student/teacher speech to share a little about himself. His favorite Unified sport to play is flag football, he loves his three dogs, and he loves spending time in the pool, swimming for Mesa. She said Webster’s definition of the word special states distinguishable from others, designed for a particular purpose, superior, important and unique. “Tristen, you are the dictionary definition of special and we love you so much and Unified is so proud of you,” Boggs said. Tristen’s mother, Jenn Guidi, said he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when he was two days old, Type 1 diabetes at 5, celiac disease at 7 and then mild hearing loss right after eighth grade. “Tristen takes on adversity head on and doesn’t take or accept ‘no,’” she said. “He loves unconditionally and because of Unified Sports, he is loved and accepted more than I could have ever hoped.”
Taylor Anyansi
Murrieta Valley Principal Stephen Diephouse introduced Taylor as “a shining example of academic excellence, athletic prowess and community service.” She is a full International Baccalaureate Diploma student and a varsity athlete who serves as co-captain of her track team. Despite suffering an ankle injury that once threatened her track career, Taylor went on to break several school records and become the state’s Division 1 champion in the 100 meters through resilience and determination. She has dedicated countless hours as a shadow and volunteer athletic trainer for the football and basketball teams. “Her contributions extend beyond the field,” Diephouse said. “She has served as co-president of the Black Student Union and is an active member of the California Scholarship Federation.” Taylor said she feels her greatest contribution to her school and community has been her energy, putting 100 percent into everything she does. She wants to study kinesiology in college and eventually become a medical doctor, specializing in sports medicine. Her math teacher and mentor, Rogelio Gallegos, said Taylor enjoys learning, likes to be challenged and is very helpful to her classmates.
Ethan Bringhurst
Springs Charter School Principal Shirley Jones said Ethan is part of the Journey homeschool/high school program. She said, “We have had the blessing of serving Ethan and his family since he was in third grade. When Ethan graduates, he will have completed over eight college courses, a CTE pathway in the health sciences and an internship in the field of dentistry. He is not just an outstanding student, but he is a model citizen.” One of five children in his family, Ethan said he has had to overcome a few small obstacles. “One was when my dad was serving in the military and we moved more than 10 times,” Ethan said. “I learned at a young age to adapt to my circumstances and to keep a positive outlook on life no matter what the situation is.” He said a life lesson he learned, after some struggles during his freshman year, was to always be accountable to yourself and to always put in the work. “I strive to give back to my community by serving others through my church responsibilities,” Ethan said. After graduation he plans to complete a two-year mission for his church and then go to college to earn a degree in biology to eventually enter the medical field.
Regina Escobar Campos
Vista Murrieta High School Principal Celeste Scallion said Regina moved to the area from Mexico City as a sophomore and faced the challenge of not knowing any English but through tenacity and perseverance she quickly acquired her third language, with Spanish and French being her first two. “Regina refused to let cultural language barriers stand in her way,” Scallion said. “Regina’s hard work has paid off as she earned a 4.2 GPA and is ranked in the top 10 percent of her class while serving as president of the Latino Student Union. She is also an active LINK Crew member and a dedicated bilingual academic tutor.” Regina said when she enrolled in Vista Murrieta’s English Learner program, she had to learn not to be too hard on herself. “I had to put in double and triple effort on things that were simple for others,” she said. As an example, she said she would sometimes have to read books for English class two or three times to comprehend them. “I have a passion, I have a dream, and after high school I plan to go to college and graduate with a degree in cinematography and film and video production,” Regina said. “I think a good movie is a movie that makes you feel something; something that makes you connect with the humanity inside of you.”
Closing remarks
Murrieta Mayor Lori Stone wished all the students the very best in the next chapter of their lives on behalf of the entire City Council. Murrieta Unified School District Superintendent Ward Andrus said, “These students are contributors to our community to make it better and stronger.” Myers said, “Thank you to each one of you for your connections, your commitment to your family, to your school and to your community. And thank you for continuing to have that heart of service and always wanting to give back.”
For more information or to participate in the program, please contact LouEllen Ficke at 951-415-2250 or Sally Myers at 951-775-0520.
