RUSD SENIOR SPOTLIGHT ISSUE PART 1

Last night the Santana Class of 2023 ceremony was held at the RUSD Performing Arts Center.

Santana High School Eagle and Valedictorian Nicole Montoya

Back stage before the ceremony begins, Nicole Montoya is excited and you can feel the energy bouncing off of her. Nicole is Santana High School’s Valedictorian and she can't wait to start her future now that she is literally steps away from graduation. “I plan to go to MT. SAC where I will begin my career to be a NICU Nurse so I can specialize and take care of premature babies. As I am working on this, I also plan to get my real estate license.” She proudly shares that she is the first in her family to graduate and to be headed to college.

“When COVID hit, I really struggled with online learning and remote classes. I couldn’t keep up and fell behind. Santana gave me a second chance. The teachers and staff there really motivated me and helped me succeed.”

Biggest impact: "I would like say my teacher Mr. Phillips  had such an impact on me. When I started I was so many units behind and it was because of his help and support I was able to catch up. I just want to say that Santana is a great school and they are really there to help you.”

TONIGHT at 5 PM Graduations Will Be Live Streamed on YouTube

Noah Lim pictured at Brown University (right).

(Below left to right): Dylan Kang, Wallace Liang, Noah Lim and Vincent Lo at first GoChooseChange volunteer event created, where they packaged and delivered food from local farmer markets to elders with a residence facility in Pomona.

Rowland High School Raider and Ivy Bound Senior, Noah Lim

Noah Lim is another amazing scholar and Raider who is bound for the Ivy Leagues! He is a National Merit Commended student, an eight-time medalist of the Academic Decathlon team and has been team captain the last two years. He also competed at the state competition of the Future Business Leaders of America. Noah is active on campus as president of the CSF and Aeronautics clubs and is also a scholar athlete, scoring on the Boys’ varsity basketball team for three years and is the current team captain. He completed two summer engineering programs with UC San Diego and John Hopkins. At the recent Senior Awards Ceremony he also received the First General Bank Scholarship and the Huang Kao Science and Math Scholarship.

“I had really planned on going to a UC. When I was researching the Ivy League universities, what I really liked about Brown was their open curriculum. There are only six other universities that offer that and they encourage you to pick and choose your classes and the career pathway you want. They are also one of the few schools where you can also submit a video portfolio about yourself. I am really into video editing so that encouraged me to apply. They really got the opportunity to see who I was and make their decision.”

Noah was accepted into UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Irvine and then… Brown. “My family went crazy and I really thought was I was going to UCLA. I had no expectation but when a few weeks later I opened the email from Brown and there was a flashing banner that I was accepted, my face was in disbelief!” It was a tough decision whether to stay close to family and friends or venture to the East Coast. “I knew that this was an opportunity to meet a really diverse group of people and the opportunity to become independent now.”

Biggest Inspiration: “My Father is my biggest inspiration. He is the reason I do all of my extra curriculars. My parents always wanted me to try new things so they put me in so many different activities such as baseball, soccer, taekwondo, tennis and basketball. My Dad has encouraged me that hard work really does pay off. He is a great role model.”

Most Proud Of: “Starting with my two friends our non-profit GoChooseChange during the pandemic to serve the community. Many people lost touch during the lock down but my two elementary friends and neighbors (and fellow Raiders Dylan Kang and Vincent Lo), we hung out every week and got even closer because of this project. I am proud that we were also able to bring out a lot of our friends who had never volunteered and brought them out of their comfort zone.”

Rowland High School Raider and Future USC Trojan Pauline Kim

Proudly showing off her USC swag, Rowland High School Raider Pauline Kim is over the moon with the news she will soon be a Trojan.

“It was like a dream! I was so nervous when I saw the email, I couldn’t open it so my Aunt had to open it for me. When we saw the confetti we started screaming and my phone fell down because we were bouncing up and down. We were crying for about 30 minutes and kept clicking the button to make sure it was real. It was my absolute dream school and now I will be going.”

Future Career: “USC has the number one program in the nation for what I wanted, a BS to Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD). It is a very competitive program with only 20 students being admitted into the program. It is a six year program which means I graduate one year earlier with automatic graduate school so I don’t have to apply again.”

Pauline learned about the career from a family friend and was intrigued. The more she researched it the more it seemed it was a fit since she liked helping people but it was not the traditional medical route and it combined physiology, sociology and human movement.

“What I love about occupational therapy is it is so broad. USC’s OTD program also allows me to major in international relations and join a study abroad program. My goal is to see different areas such as Ireland where people may not have access to OTD. I plan to open up clinics in underserved areas and I may even go to Korea where I have family.”

Most Proud Of: After being told she couldn’t volunteer at hospitals due to her age, she had an idea. “I decided to focus on my own project through Instagram and researched occupational therapy and different activities that children could do at home to improve motor skills. I then wanted to apply my knowledge so I reached out to the Children’s Museum of La Habra and started to offer workshops for parents. It pushed me to really research what I wanted to do. My age was not going to stop me to learn more about it.”

(Photo above of kids taking part in her workshops. "By drawing and grabbing chalk, kids are able to develop the skills they need to hold a pencil and control it. Having kids follw the line improves eye coordination and a sense of direction.")

Advice for Future Raiders: “I genuinely think that grades don’t define who you are. It is really important to figure out who you are. Join different clubs and pinpoint your passion to figure out what you want to do.”

Nogales High School Noble Adan Moreno received a full scholarship to Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges.

Adan Moreno is a force on the Nogales campus being involved in several extra-curricular programs and service including ASB senior vice president, president of the College Connect Club, and president of AVID. Last summer, he was chosen as Senate Speaker at the State Capitol as a Chicano/Latino Youth Leader. He is an activist, and an advocate who has fought tirelessly for his community to promote education equity and social justice. He received multiple scholarships and awards at Senior Awards night. He plans to ultimately become a teacher, a school administrator and eventually a superintendent.

Adan is bubbling with excitement as he shares his college plans. “I am feeling excited about closing this chapter of high school and going to college to see what life brings me!” He was accepted to the University of Southern California, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, and Carleton College. Next year he will be attending Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, on a full scholarship where he plans to couble major in Chican/Latino studies and study Sociology.

He is proud of balancing his school work and many extra-curricular activities, along with working at Porto’s. One of his many activities that he was proud of was teaching English to Ukrainian students through a virtual tutoring program called ENGin. “It was during the pandemic when we were online and I had a lot of extra time. At first it was really difficult to navigate due to the time zone (10 AM here was 10 PM there) but it was so rewarding having an impact on someone, I really enjoyed it. This was before the war. I still keep in touch with my students and if they need help with their homework or want to talk we stay connected.”

Advice for Future Nobels: “You might think high school is hard but it will be worth it. Teachers are strict but are trying to prepare you for the real world. You need to remember to find the teachers that care for you, the guidance counselors and staff that you can connect with to help support you.”

Nogales High School Senior Sofia Moreno pictured with the RUSD Board of Education at the College Connect Celebration above and below receiving one of her scholarships from the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Youth Scholarship Program for STEM.

Determined, laser-focused and ready to change the world. Nogales Noble Sofia Moreno is so self-assured, she seems older and wiser than her years. This scholar athlete walked the stage for many scholarships and awards on Senior Awards Night and is excited to share her plans for the future.

“I am going to attend Oregon State for the only type of degree of its kind in the nation, it is for range land sciences. It specializes in habitat conservation and expanding areas of protection not previously recognized. It also focuses heavily on agricultural practices and improving upon our sustainable systems such as understanding soil depletion, water over use and understanding climate change and how it affects the production of crops.”

The degree is fully online so she will be completing it from… Maine! Why Maine? She laughs and says, “Everything and nothing! I like that there is low density population there and it is very rich in biodiversity, especially near the coastline and it has large amounts of forestry.”

Biggest Impact Made: “There were two people who made an impact on me while at Nogales. The first was my academic counselor Ms. Martinez. She was a big advocate for me and understood my self-determination. I went to her since I was a freshman to understand how I could better my high school career and which classes I wanted. My junior swim coach who is no longer here, coach Elena. She helped me gain confidence and taught me to understand that when you are on a team, you are completely on a team. She said you are not just swimming solo, you must uplift each other or else there is no prosperity on the whole team.”

In a nail biting display of skill, determination, and unwavering spirit, the soccer championship reached its climax as two formidable teams, Telesis vs. Northam, fiercely contested the final soccer championship. The game showcased an exceptional level of competition, leaving spectators on the edge of their seats throughout the game!

From the very first whistle, it was evident that both sides were evenly matched; each team relentlessly pushed forward with spectacular saves from both goalkeepers. The referees' watchful eyes ensured fair play prevailed amidst the intense game, allowing the players to express their artistry and prowess without compromise.

The defining moment arrived in the last few minutes of the game when Northam scored the winning goal! With the final whistle imminent, the atmosphere became electric, embodying the essence of a closely fought contest. Fans from both sides applauded in appreciation of the magnificent game they witnessed, acknowledging the extraordinary talent and indomitable spirit displayed by both teams! In the end, while there could only be one champion, the game showcased the true beauty of soccer: the spirit of competition, the camaraderie between adversaries, and the unrelenting pursuit of excellence. 

Shared by Northam Principal Esther Garcia.

June 1, 2023 RUSD News Graduation Issue Part 1 Editor gward@rowlandschools.org

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