The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program, recognizing and inspiring academic excellence since 1993, held its monthly recognition breakfast on Oct. 19 at the Murrieta Sizzler restaurant, 40489 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. Holly Wilson, Director of Admissions at Linfield Christian School, stood in for Sally Myers, founder of the nonprofit program, by welcoming everyone and sharing the mission of the local high school recognition program which sets the criteria for the students who are chosen.
College or trade school bound seniors are honored for their character, their love of learning and their willingness to participate in numerous activities such as campus events, athletics and community service as well as how they have persevered through challenging 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.
October’s students of the month are Chaparral High School’s Morgan Steel, Great Oak’s Steven Zhang, Linfield Christian’s Zoë Zinn, Rancho Christian’s Isabelle Manjarrez, Susan H. Nelson High School’s Londyn McCarty and Temecula Valley High School’s Alejandra Yemha.
Morgan Steele
Chaparral High School Assistant Principal Chris Morel said Morgan is a servant leader and told her, “You represent not just Chaparral but you represent your family, you represent your community and you represent humanity very well because of the way you take care of others.” Morgan said, “I think my greatest contributions to my school are my small acts of service. I’ve been a Peer Leader since my sophomore year and now I’m a Peer Leader officer.” Morgan tutors others on campus and also K-12 students through an online tutoring program. Her teacher Gayle Trout said, “We all see the same qualities in Morgan.” She said the outstanding senior is unassuming and steps right in wherever and whenever she is needed. Trout applauded her efforts as a peacemaker who wants people to talk to each other and work things out to reconcile and restore everything.
Steven Zhang
Great Oak High School Assistant Principal Amber Lane said Steven is the perfect example of the school’s mission of spirit: scholarship, passion, integrity, reflection, involvement and teamwork. “Steven is absolutely the full package,” she said, adding that he excels in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes and is passionate about math and science, hoping to attend MIT to pursue a degree in computer science. “His peers describe him as one of the kindest, smartest and most hard-working students in the senior class and his peers look to him for guidance and leadership.” Steven said, “Through my experiences, I’ve discovered the importance of self-reflection, not contemplating just what you want to accomplish but specifically how and why.” He said better understanding yourself is a continuous process. “Another thing I’ve learned is the importance of not taking yourself too seriously,” Steven said. “When you reflect on your high school experience in 5, 10 or even 50 years from now, your fondest memories are likely not going to be related to academics. It’s going to be the silly things that you did with your friends.” His IB English teacher, Brittany Strosnider, said what impresses her most about Steven is his deep, intellectual curiosity. “He is able to combine wit and cleverness with some deep knowledge and reflectiveness. He inspires his peers in a way that creates a vibrant learning community. His dedication, leadership and unyielding pursuit of excellence inspires his peers, and myself, and serves as a testament to the extraordinary impact that can be achieved when intelligence is combined with integrity.
Zoë Zinn
Linfield Christian School Principal Carrie Washburn said Zoë “is always where people need her to be” adding that “she is so humble that she doesn’t need to lead from the front, she actually prefers to lead from the background and from behind the scenes, but it’s noticeable.” Zoë said that during her four years at Linfield she discovered her future direction. “I found when I joined the engineering tract at Linfield my love of architecture and my art class also helped fuel that love,” she said. “That’s the major I will pursue at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo next year if I get accepted.” This field will allow her to pursue a passion project of hers which is improving high-density housing. “My belief is that everyone should be surrounded by beauty and beautiful things no matter their socio-economic status,” Zoë said. She is president of the Student Ambassadors and is serving on the Chapel Leadership Team this year. Her English teacher, Melissa Blades, said, “She’s strong but kind, confident but humble; she’s just a real blessing to have around. I’m so proud of how she’s been willing to step outside her comfort zone to serve our community.”
Isabelle Manjarrez
Rancho Vista is one of several schools that make up the Sparkman Alternative Education Center, served by Principal David Schlottman, who said, “Beyond the grades and the leadership in ASB, there are a few things that impress me a lot about Isabelle and one is how much she cares about other people and how much she likes to help others.” Isabelle plans to become an esthetician and Schlottman said, “It’s a helping profession and she literally wants to help people feel good in their skin.” The second thing he is impressed with is the fact that Isabelle “knows her own mind.” She switched from Chaparral to Rancho Vista because she knew it was right for her. “A big obstacle I overcame was during my freshman year,” Isabelle said. “It was really hard to be online (during COVID).” She tried attending Chaparral when in-person learning resumed but decided to attend Rancho Vista instead and said she is grateful to all her teachers there. English teacher Amber Cunningham said, “Over the last one and a half years, Isabelle has grown from a quiet individual to a confident young woman that we are proud to recognize. Isabelle has proven to be an exemplary student in behavior and academics.”
Londyn McCarty
Susan H. Nelson High School is also part of the Sparkman Alternative Education Center. Principal David Schlottman said he is impressed with Londyn’s vision and drive. She is a 16-year-old senior who is already an actor, having shot commercials and short independent films. She doubled up on credits so she can hopefully graduate early. Schlottman said, “She’s got the drive to make it happen. She is super motivated and she’s willing to do the work to get there.” Londyn said the biggest life lesson that she has learned and will be taking with her throughout life, including college, is the importance of effective time management. “And the art of balancing my passions with my responsibilities,” she said. “As a student with three jobs and trying to pursue a career of acting, that has been pretty important. I have a saying: ‘early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable.’” After graduation, she hopes to attend AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) or USC’s School of Dramatic Arts to earn her BFA degree. Londyn’s supervising teacher, Sandra Cerny, told her, “I have no doubt that you will succeed at reaching your goals and succeed in your education and professional endeavors.” Her mother said to Londyn, “Thank you for showing those around you that grit and grace can co-exist.”
Alejandra Yemha
Temecula Valley High School Principal Donna Leone said Alejandra is a four-year AVID student who intends to major in political science with the goal of becoming an immigration lawyer to be able to help others. She will be the first one in her family to attend college and stays busy tutoring English language learners at the high school. “She does a great job of making students feel comfortable,” Leone said. “She also gets them involved in the school.” Leone always asks the Student of the Month recipient to give her three words that friends would use to describe them and Alejandra said “empathetic, caring and ambitious.” The honored senior said, “When I started kindergarten, I didn’t speak a bit of English and that made me feel different than others; isolated and alone. As a result of remembering how I felt when I didn’t know the language, I decided to dedicate myself to working with our English language learners at TVHS. I volunteer as a tutor for newcomers because I want to inspire them to believe in themselves and work hard to chase their dreams.” AVID coordinator and teacher Brenda Chiuminatta said, “Alejandra is such a giver. She set a goal of graduating high school while also earning her associate’s degree so along with a full course load of high school classes, she takes multiple classes through Mt. San Jacinto College.”
For more information, please contact Program Chair Amber Poncy at 951-676-5090 or http://temecula.org/student-of-the-month.
