The Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program held its most recent recognition breakfast at the Murrieta Valley USD Early Learning Center on Oct. 16. Emcee Mary Walters welcomed everyone to the breakfast and explained that the program, founded by Sally Myers of BMW Management/Sizzler restaurants, celebrates and honors outstanding students who make a significant difference 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 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.
October’s students of the month are Murrieta Canyon Academy’s Gavin Larson, Murrieta Mesa High School’s Orley Weaver, Murrieta Valley High School’s Sofia Antillon, Springs Charter School’s Mia Brijandez and Vista Murrieta High School’s Austin Wright.
Gavin Larson
Murrieta Canyon Academy Principal Matt Bean said, “As an alternative high school of choice, Murrieta Canyon Academy strives to provide an educational environment built around social, emotional, and academic support. Since arriving on our campus the spring of his sophomore year, Gavin has learned how to soar to success by being self-aware, optimistic, accountable and truly resilient.” Gavin said he is not the typical Student of the Month, meaning he doesn’t take any AP or IB classes and he doesn’t have his entire life planned out yet. “However, like my amazing grandma says, my story is a success story and it’s still worth telling,” he said. “I was an athlete and for 10 years I played football; it was my entire identity.” After starting high school at Murrieta Valley, he always put the sport first and ignored his academics. At the end of his freshman year, his grades were so poor that he was ineligible to play the sport he loved. “Instead of turning things around, I completely gave up,” Gavin said. “I had no motivation to do anything.” Within the first few weeks of enrolling at MCA, he said he truly felt at home. “I felt noticed and I slowly improved my grades,” he said. “With my success, I found confidence in myself that I hadn’t felt in years.” Being encouraged to join the Leadership program led him to become the school board representative for MCA and participate in the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, joining the Bring Change to Mind mental health club and serving as a peer counselor. He hopes to attend Grand Canyon University to earn a degree in social science and psychology.
Orley Weaver
Murrieta Mesa High School Principal Scott Richards introduced Orley as a four-year varsity water polo player who makes the intense sport look effortless. Orley has been a varsity swimmer for two years and is currently captain of the water polo team. He also serves as team manager for the girls’ water polo team. “With a 4.53 GPA, he sits at the top of his class and is a strong contender for this year’s valedictorian,” Richards said. Orley is looking to be accepted into the nuclear engineering program at UC Berkeley or the business program at UCLA. He said the most important lesson he has learned stems from his father having gone through numerous surgeries, including open heart surgery when Orley was eight years old. Although it was a success, the surgery changed the young boy. “I realized two things; the first was that I wanted to work hard to support my family if anything happened,” Orley said. “The second thing is that I realized how fragile life was. At any moment, the people you care about most could be taken away from you.” His water polo coach, Matt Puig, a former Murrieta Valley Student of the Month when he was a senior in high school, said this was a full-circle moment. “Orley has left every single group he has been involved with better than he found it,” Puig said. He said Orley’s heart for others is one of his best qualities and paraphrased two commandments from the Bible: Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. “And Orley does that,” he said.
Sofia Antillon
Murrieta Valley High School Principal Stephen Diephouse said, “Sofia maintains an outstanding 4.5 GPA while taking a rigorous schedule that includes AP, IB, and MSJC college-level courses. Her academic achievements place her among the top students at Murrieta Valley. But what makes her truly stand out is the way she balances excellence in the classroom with meaningful involvement across our campus. Whether she’s performing with our marching band, competing in tennis and track, serving as a junior honor guard or leading as president of the Girl Up club, Sofia brings energy, positivity and quiet leadership to everything that she does.” Sofia described a typical day, which starts with her first class at 7:30 a.m., followed by after-school tennis practice as team captain and then heading to the football field for band rehearsal until 9:30 p.m. After eating a quick dinner, she does her homework and if she has time, she creates an educational presentation for her feminist Girl Up club, which she has been running for three years as president or vice president. “From peer stigma to historical women, my club covers it all,” Sofia said. “We take action on it too, making a significant impact on peers and fellow club members, showing them that it’s okay to be who you are and believe in what you believe in.” Last year, she organized a bake sale with the club and all proceeds went to the nonprofit RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). The club also helped her find her passion for women’s health. She hopes to attend UCLA or UC Berkeley to major in chemistry with a minor in women and gender studies to help with her goal of becoming a gynecologist.
Mia Brijandez
Springs Charter School’s Journey Homeschool High School Principal Shirley Jones said Mia is an incredible artist who is using her incredible talents to complete a technical education pathway in Media Art. She has already completed the pathway in Entrepreneurship and Internship, both of which have allowed her to apply her learning by contributing to the businesses operated by her brother and sister. “By the time she graduates, Mia will have completed 22 college courses and earned an associate degree in Business Administration, all while maintaining an outstanding 4.2 GPA,” Jones said. Mia explained that home life was not always easy because her dad has bipolar disorder. “But it taught me to be empathetic and look past someone’s hard days,” she said. When she was 12, her brother began having unexplained seizures and shortly after that she lost her maternal grandmother. All these factors led her to have high-functioning anxiety and panic disorder. “But going through that made me stronger and helped me realize that life doesn’t always go as planned and you just have to keep moving forward,” Mia said. She said she likes to stay busy and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Teacher Summer Knapp has known the family for more than 12 years and said Mia has taken ownership of her schooling since the beginning. She said the best word she can think of to describe the outstanding senior is “wholehearted” because Mia puts focus and passion into everything she does.
Austin Wright
Vista Murrieta High School Principal Celeste Scallion said, “Austin is a young man whose leadership, creativity and technical expertise make him a standout amongst his peers. With his eyes set on a career in live entertainment and event production technology, Austin has already started walking the path of a professional.” With the help of his CTE instructors, Michael Ruiz, Jason Seipp and others, he has built meaningful industry connections and gained hands-on experience that most students only dream of at this age. Scallion also said Austin is a skilled pianist, serves as ASB Senior Class President and is enrolled in three CTE pathways: engineering, audio technology and video production, demonstrating a wide range of abilities and his determination to expand his skills. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned at Vista Murrieta, it’s that every opportunity, no matter how small, can lead somewhere incredible and that mindset has shaped my entire high school experience,” Austin said. “I learned that growth comes from showing up and giving it your all. That’s why I’m excited to pay it forward. Soon, I will be visiting middle schools and introducing students to the amazing CTE programs we have. These programs aren’t just electives, they’re launchpads. These programs gave me confidence, experience and a professional mindset, and I’m proud to say that I’ll be going full-time in the production world after graduation, working with multiple companies and contributing to real shows and events and that’s thanks to a district that invests in students like me.” Along with his work, Austin plans to attend MSJC online to earn an associate degree in Film, Television and Electronic Media, building his foundation while gaining real-world experience.
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.
