The Administrators of the Buddies of the Solana Seaside Library not too long ago introduced the recipients of the 2022 Buddies Scholarship awards for schooling past the highschool stage. 4 nameless donations added to the funds budgeted for scholarships this 12 months, making it attainable for the Buddies to award seven $1,000 scholarships.
The award winners comprise a various group of Solana Seaside residents when it comes to colleges attended, academic and profession aspirations, and life expertise, as detailed of their software essays. They’ve spectacular data of educational achievement and repair to their Solana Seaside neighborhood and past, in addition to excellent suggestions from their lecturers, counselors and others.
Right here in alphabetical order by first title are the 2022 Buddies Scholarship recipients:
Eric Van Valkenberg
(Amy McQuade)
Eric Van Valkenberg (Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty) will attend the College of Oklahoma, the place he’ll research bodily remedy in preparation for a profession as a bodily therapist or a sports activities coach. A baseball participant coaching on his personal to remain in form in the course of the pandemic, Eric injured his again, and his damage required surgical procedure and an extended restoration. One 9 Sports activities Medication and Bodily Remedy in Solana Seaside helped him to get again to kind, bodily and mentally. And it was in the course of the rehab course of that he realized what he wished to review in faculty. Eric interned at One 9 final summer season so he might be taught concerning the enterprise and at some point assist different individuals the best way he had been helped. A volunteer from a younger age, Eric labored with a bunch of buddies in Solana Seaside Little League to show newly arrived refugee youngsters play baseball. “Although language was a barrier,” he says, “all of us laughed and performed collectively for hours.” He has additionally volunteered with the Miracle League (an affiliation that helps baseball for bodily and mentally challenged athletes) and has helped with youngsters’ birthday events on the Disaster Home home violence program in Santee.
Franco Sims (Canyon Crest Academy) will attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical College in Prescott, Arizona pursuing a bachelor of science diploma in aeronautical science. He’s enthusiastic about attending the most effective colleges within the nation for this function. On the identical time he shall be taking his flight coaching to develop into a licensed business airline pilot. During the last 12 months he has taken a flight course resulting in a personal pilot’s license, which is step one towards a business license. Franco has been a a lot appreciated administrative assistant and IT tech for Nuinto, a video communications consultancy in Solana Seaside, establishing sound, cellphone and WiFi programs and coaching workers. An honored Eagle Scout with Solana Seaside Troop 782, he was additionally a member of Teen Volunteers in Motion for six years working with native charities, and has volunteered by means of Solana Seaside Presbyterian Church and the YMCA.
Jessica Connell
(Adela Guerrero)
Jessica Connell (Canyon Crest Academy) will attend College of Colorado, Boulder learning chemical and organic engineering. Jessica’s objective is to develop into a medical physician working in a profession that entails direct affected person care, making a secure and inclusive area for numerous affected person populations. At Canyon Crest Jessica performed varsity discipline hockey for 4 years and took part within the faculty’s Vocal Conservatory courses. Purchasing for high-risk seniors (by means of Teenagers Serving to Seniors), working with youngsters (as a volunteer at Get Exterior summer season camp and within the Feed the Youngsters program), and appearing as a St. James/St. Leo Youth Café Chief helped Jessica resolve on an academic and profession path that can mix STEM abilities with the need to serve others.
Kelly Drummond (a 2006 graduate of San Dieguito Academy) earned a bachelor of arts diploma from the College of Puget Sound. This month she has entered the masters of superior research program in marine biodiversity and conservation at Scripps Establishment of Oceanography, UCSD. She is going to pursue a profession in coverage and communications in marine conservation. Kelly has been a studio artwork instructor, an environmental educator and a Montessori instructor. After a decade of working in schooling in numerous capacities, she went again to highschool in varied neighborhood faculty packages to review marine science and to see the place she would possibly match into assembly the challenges the marine setting faces at the moment. By means of the masters program at Scripps she needs to increase her abilities for working on the juncture of communication and sustainable growth of ocean industries. Kelly has volunteered with the Surfrider Basis and the Boys & Ladies Golf equipment. She has commonly participated in seashore cleanups all through San Diego County, and weeded the backyard the Boys & Ladies Golf equipment maintains for his or her summer season cooking courses.
Kristal Cruz (Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty) will attend California State College, San Marcos, the place she plans to main in advertising and marketing or in youngster and adolescent growth. Advertising and marketing research would assist her with plans to open a enterprise, working a bakery or a nail salon. Rising up she watched web tutorials on do nail designs with dwelling provides, and he or she not too long ago opened a nail enterprise at dwelling, incomes cash doing work she enjoys. As she begins faculty, Kristal can also be contemplating a distinct main, one that will result in a profession in educating. Her volunteer expertise tutoring for Casa de Amistad in the course of the pandemic taught her how a lot she loves serving to youngsters be taught. Along with Casa de Amistad, she has volunteered at Dia de Los Muertos and within the vacation baskets program of St. Leo and St. James parish.
Morgan Day
(Kira Manqueros)
Morgan Day (Santa Fe Christian Faculties) will attend Colorado State College, the place she has been accepted into the Honors program. She is going to main in development administration, with an emphasis in sustainability in constructing, and a minor in graphic design. Impressed by the general public artwork in Solana Seaside as she grew up, and by the artwork courses she took in highschool (she took each one accessible), she plans a profession “creating oases for others to get pleasure from.” Along with her mom, Morgan has volunteered with the Nationwide Charity League in areas from San Diego to Oceanside, engaged on seashore clean-up; on the Rancho Coastal Humane Society; and at an area soup kitchen. At Santa Fe Christian she was a varsity swimmer and water polo participant and captained each groups.
Wendy Mendoza (a Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty graduate in 2019) has now accomplished her junior 12 months at College of San Diego (USD), majoring in behavioral neuroscience. After ending her undergraduate diploma subsequent 12 months, she’s going to apply to the USD grasp’s entry program in nursing. And after graduating and dealing as a registered nurse in a hospital setting for some time, she plans to return to highschool to develop into a ladies’s well being nurse practitioner. Impressed by her expertise as a translator for her Spanish-speaking dad and mom on the physician’s workplace and for an additional member of the family at clinics and hospitals, she seems ahead to enjoying a task in minimizing the language barrier between healthcare suppliers and Spanish-speaking sufferers to allow them to get the care they want. Wendy grew up attending the Boys & Ladies Golf equipment and Casa de Amistad, after which volunteering at Casa and the Solana Seaside Library. She now volunteers at Palomar Well being hospital in Escondido, the place she participates within the Pathmaker Internship program, helping hospital workers with affected person care.
The students not too long ago have met individually on the library with Scholarship Committee members to obtain their awards and the Buddies’ properly needs as they take the subsequent step of their academic journey. “Studying about these spectacular college students, their targets, and their want to serve others,” says Buddies of the Library President Susan McEachern, “actually makes me optimistic concerning the future.”
