The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program, recognizing and inspiring academic excellence since the 1992-1993 school year, held its last recognition breakfast before winter break on Dec. 14 at the Murrieta Sizzler restaurant, 40489 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. Sally A. Myers, founder of the nonprofit program, welcomed everyone and shared 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.
December’s students of the month are Chaparral High School’s Madison Galat, Great Oak’s Gianna Yerkes, Linfield Christian’s Braylen Munson-McDowell, Rancho Vista’s Phyllip Juganas, Susan H. Nelson’s Maelin Koester and Temecula Valley High School’s Avery E. Steele.
Madison Galat
Chaparral High School Principal Tina Miller said Madison has a passion for helping students with special needs and she loves American Sign Language. “She is part of our ASB with a focus on athletics and the reason for that is because she leads our Unified Sports program for the fourth year and she does an amazing job with that,” Miller said. She explained that the Unified Sports program bridges the school’s leadership students with students that have special needs to participate in athletic events. She said Madison is focused on giving all the students a great experience by being part of something bigger than themselves. She serves as president of the Impact Club and has been part of it all four years. The campus club works with students that have special needs, building connections between them and their typical peers. Madison wants to become a special education teacher. She is an ASB Leader, a member of the Superintendent’s Student Council as well as the Unified Generation Council and Athlete Leadership Council for Special Olympics. “All of these have given me the opportunity to help give back to my campus and community,” she said. “Being given the chance to have a voice and advocate for my peers and for those around me who aren’t always given a chance to speak up has truly shaped my confidence, drive and determination to reach my goals and full potential.”
Gianna Yerkes
Great Oak High School Assistant Principal Amber Lane said that in her role in Peer Leaders, Gianna has been able to “rally the troops and elevate the visibility of the Peer Leaders on our campus simply because of who she is. She is amazingly smart, kind and she is a ball of energy that can light up any room.” Gianna is involved with many clubs and events and serves as captain of the varsity field hockey team. She is a student council member, President of Interact Club, President of the Senior Care Club and Vice President of her school’s chapter of California Scholarship Federation. “On weekends I referee with the Temecula Valley Soccer Association so that’s super fun for me, too,” Gianna said. “I hold a passion for all of these activities but it’s through Peer Leaders that I feel like I’ve made my greatest impact in our community. I currently lead a committee focused on organizing visits to our middle and elementary schools. This year our theme is ‘Being the Light’ so we talk about being kind, being brave, being hardworking, all these things that we hear about these days. It’s so fulfilling to know we are making a hands-on difference.”
Braylen Munson-McDowell
Linfield Christian School Principal Carrie Washburn said Braylen is charismatic and whether on the football field or in a theater production, he leads everything he does. Braylen said, “On the day I was born, my mother was incarcerated at the USC Medical Center in downtown LA.” He explained that when she was four months pregnant with him, she had been arrested at a traffic stop for possession of rock cocaine. “Following my birth, I was immediately placed into the foster care system while she remained in jail. My life was set on a course of poverty, crime and substance abuse yet my miraculous adoption from my parents redirected my destiny on a path of support, stability and success.” Although he was able to grow up normally with no ill effects from his unfortunate beginning, he didn’t give things his all. He admits he was somewhat lazy and only put in minimum effort at school and in sports. “However, in seventh grade, as my dad was driving me to my third consecutive football camp, everything clicked,” Braylen said. He decided that if he had to spend time doing these things, he wanted to be good at it. That mindset change began to affect all areas of his life and his new self-confidence allowed him to meet new friends and try new things. “As a former foster care child who was blessed enough to receive a loving family, a fantastic education and a remarkable childhood, I know many others are not as fortunate and fall prey to drugs, crime and homelessness,” Braylen said. “I intend to earn a Ph.D. in child psychology before establishing an academy specifically designed for young men in foster care. This project will provide kids in foster care with the love, safety and life lessons I have been given.”
Phyllip Juganas
Rancho Vista High School is one of three schools at the Sparkman Alternative Education Center where David Schlottman serves as principal. He said Phyllip transferred to Rancho as a junior when he was in the process of turning his life around. Schlottman shared a quote from Mahatma Gandhi which he finds inspiring, “Strength does not come from winning, your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” He praised Phyllip for his strength. The outstanding senior shared a story of how he was able to overcome obstacles that destroyed his work ethic and his sense of accountability. He said it started when spring break of his eighth-grade year lasted the rest of that school year due to COVID, introducing him to online school. He was told he had to transfer to Rancho the second semester of his junior year due to insufficient credits. “This made me worried and scared,” Phyllip said. “The thought of having to attend a whole new school because I decided not to care angered me. This is when I decided I wanted to climb out of the hole that I had dug myself into and make the best out of my situation.” He said one of the most important lessons he learned was that if you give your all and apply yourself and be persistent, you will eventually finish it. Phyllip plans to major in business and start his own business or enlist in the U.S. Navy. English and ASB Leadership teacher Amber Cunningham said Phyllip is a natural-born leader. “I don’t think he realizes the impact he has on other students,” she said.
Maelin Koester
Susan H. Nelson High School is another Sparkman Alternative Education Center school with Principal David Schlottman, who described Maelin as a “special young woman who has her dreams and knows where she’s going.” He learned that she has been very inspired by her mother and grandmother. “Mae said her goal is to have a healthy and successful life and do a job she likes to do and she is well on her way.” Maelin said she has come a long way since COVID caused her much crippling anxiety and depression, which led to being hospitalized as a result. “I transferred to Susan H. Nelson and found my passion for learning and for success,” Maelin said. “And I have been so much better ever since. I’ve been better in my classes, mentally and emotionally, just because of my teacher Ms. Shea. I cannot thank anyone more than Ms. Shea. Knowing the intense amount of school I would have to go through to be a zoologist and a veterinarian, I wanted to step up and make sure that my education was put first. My mother was a vet tech for a very long time, and she inspired me.” Her teacher, Trisha Shea, said Maelin has the mindset of a winner and she has never faltered from that.
Avery E. Steele
Temecula Valley High School Principal Donna Lione introduced Avery as an outstanding student athlete who is involved with two civic engagement projects and has her sights set on attending either Stanford or the University of Michigan. Lione said three words Avery thinks friends might use to describe her are optimistic, intelligent and gritty. Her advice to incoming freshmen would be “do it all.” Avery said she has faced some difficult challenges, one of them being the pandemic which left her feeling very isolated and took a toll on her socially and emotionally. “I thankfully decided to do something about it because as they say, ‘be the change that you want to see in the world,’” she said. “I had this idea for a race. I wanted to build a community again and I enjoyed doing 5Ks and other running events prior to COVID.” With the support of her parents and friends and countless hours of work, she was able to launch her virtual event in her freshman year. To handle the funding for it, she established a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Sun Run, to create a scholarship fund to help students develop themselves and their futures. “Thanks to many participants, we raised over $7,500,” she said. AP Government and Economics teacher Crystal Rubnerth said she nominated Avery for Student of the Month because of her strong involvement with the California Seal of Civic Engagement Program, which goes beyond recognizing those that do amazing community service. “It’s about doing projects that leave a legacy in the community and leaving your mark in your community,” she said. Avery is doing a second project bringing awareness to animal rescues and shelters.
For more information, please contact Program Chair Amber Poncy at 951-676-5090 or http://temecula.org/student-of-the-month.
