2022 Scholarship Recipients

Remie Enriquez is sponsored by her grandmother Josefina Ranido. Remie graduated from Academy of The Canyons High School, Santa Clarita, CA, with a 4.52 GPA.

Quoting from her applicant statement, “Growing up as a painfully shy and reserved student, instilled a sense of fierce independence as I learned how to solve my problems through more discrete ways such as observation and experimentation. Books and technology were the first things I turned towards when faced with a problem and I gradually gained the confidence to try things out by myself regardless of my initial experience. From 6th to 11th grade, I was an avid learner in taekwondo. Eventually, in 10th grade, I was given the opportunity to become an Assistant Instructor to help the master teach children and teenagers. However, I stopped doing taekwondo after I tested for and received my second-degree black belt. As for volunteer activities, I have committed to doing at least five hours of community service per week. Some of the more recent activities I have done include making blankets for sick children through my school’s Project Linus and helping to restore my school’s community garden. Currently, in my senior year, I have been working on a community service project with two other friends, implementing a new recycling system at our school. We have done so by adding new recycling bins and researching and creating posters that explain what can and cannot be recycled. As of right now, we are monitoring the effectiveness of our new system based on student cooperation.”

For a long time, Remie explored computer science, despite her difficulty in mathematics, from robotics in middle school to introductory college courses in coding and computer systems in high school. Concurrently, Remie nurtured her love for learning languages by teaching herself Latin and passing the Beginning National Latin Exam over quarantine. In her last year of high school, she picked up Japanese with the intent of taking the JLPT N4 Japanese language proficiency exam in 2023. Her goal is to devote most of her time mastering both languages after graduating from high school. Now in her last year of high school, she has decided to register at The College of The Canyons, to become a Medical Lab Technician and enter the workforce as soon as possible, since this job only requires an associate degree and certification. Her goal is saving enough money and returning to a four-year university to pursue a degree in pathology.

Quoting from Remie’s Reference Report, “Remie has excelled in Honors English-9 and Honors English-11, where she has earned A grades. She always turned in superior work on time. We have witnessed her transformation from a shy young woman, who hesitated to participate, to a strong student who effectively expresses her ideas with peers and who can “easily” stand in front class and lead a lesson for 30 minutes. She is resilient, intelligent, a team player.”

Isaac Gibbens is sponsored by his Grandmother Gail Church. Isaac graduated from Mission Hills High School, San Marcos, CA, with a 4.33 GPA.

Quoting from his applicant statement, “I am blessed to have grown up in a middle-class household with two hardworking and loving parents that have pushed my sister and I to explore our interests and find where we truly belong. For as long as I can remember I was never only enrolled in school; I have always been a part of after school activities that have ranged from soccer and football to golf and marching band that have each taught me a little more about how to be my best self. As a Trumpet Section Leader for two years, and a member of my school’s marching band throughout all four years of high school, I learned that any group is only as strong as its members, and as such, I should work to help others be successful rather than focusing solely on myself.”

The COVID shutdowns limited his ability to remain active on his service to the community. However, immediately when the world began to reopen, Isaac promptly resumed his service to his community. For 11 weeks last fall, he volunteered at “Shooting Stars” a basketball organization for kids, teens and young adults with special needs, where he was paired with Tori, a girl with Down Syndrome, who he has been friends with for about eight years. This program helps instill social skills like teamwork, but also taught Isaac, how to be more inclusive and compassionate to everyone. As a member of the school’s “I Am AP” club, Isaac has dedicated multiple hours every week tutoring his peers improve their understanding of different school subjects. After a most fulfilling experience during his high school years, Isaac considers himself ready for all challenges the future may bring. Isaac’s Reference Report highlights his natural talent to focus concurrently on various tasks and be highly successful at all of them.

From his reference report, “He displays determination and drive towards excellence. He is empathetic, kind and giving of his time. Isaac is never too tired to make time for someone in need of assistance. A truly glowing assessment of Isaac’s, talents, maturity, and personal character. Isaac is passionate about his future career and has a keen interest in Chemical Engineering. He has applied to several elite universities that excel in that major, such as Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, and NYU. While there are no guarantees in acceptance, Isaac far exceeds the acceptance requirements for every institution he has applied for.”

Mason D. Hunt is sponsored by his Grandmother Carol Hunt Abreu. Mason graduated from Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, CA with a 4.58 GPA.

Quoting from his applicant statement, “My first foray into leadership was my 6th grade year at Newport Elementary. I decided to run for Student Body Treasurer with the campaign slogan of “Mason is Money” and gave my election speech clad in a one-hundred-dollar bill costume that had “Mason for Treasurer” written on the back. I quickly learned that I could use my leadership skills to do good for my community. I started a “change for change” campaign which collected change from all the students and their parents, K-6, Friday at the weekly “flag deck”, soon I had $342 in change (which I counted by hand) and was able to send off to the Water for South Sudan Humanitarian Project.”

His sophomore year taught him a lesson on focus. Mason was bumped up to the Newport Harbor Varsity water polo team and his priorities had to change. Playing water polo for the best team in the country took a whole new level of commitment and dedication. His hard work in the pool paid off as his team made it to the CIF Championship game and placed second in the country.

However, his biggest leadership challenge came at home when his father was diagnosed with brain cancer. Mason immediately stepped up for his mom, helping with some of the daily chores and driving his younger siblings. Leading by example, he placed emphasis on helping around the house and continuing to work hard in school and sports. He maintained straight A’s in all the most challenging classes, as well as scoring 5’s on all his AP tests and qualifying as a National Merit Finalist, all while supporting his mom, dad, brother, and sister at home. Regarding his plan to win the CIF Championship: “He led his team to complete victory – in his motivational speech to the team prior to the final game, he channeled a local hero, Kobe Bryant, and reiterated his statement from the 2009 NBA finals – “Job’s not finished…!”

Quoting from Mason’s Reference Report, “His talent, character and dedication are eloquently described: “The job finally was finished.” His dad was his inspiration and seeing the look of admiration on his face after Mason was named to the All-CIF Southern Section First Team and the All-Orange County Dream Team was a true blessing. Mason was selected as valedictorian for the Newport Harbor High School Class of 2022. He is planning to attend Harvard University in the Fall of 2022, play Division 1 water polo and pursue a doctor’s degree in Bioengineering.

Sebastian Saiki is sponsored by his Grandmother and Grandfather Lourdes and Roland Bondoc. Sebastian graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego, CA, with a 4.00 GPA.

Quoting from his applicant statement, “I am Sebastian Saiki, grandson of Lourdes and Roland Bondoc. I am the eldest of three brothers and a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School. Last year, I achieved Eagle Scout and earned 137 merit badges, something less than 5% of Boys Scouts achieve. I have multiple first honor awards and have participated in multiple sports and clubs throughout high school. Giving back to the community has always been very important to me.”

Sebastian’s desire to give back to the community is reflected in the wide range of extracurricular activities sustained through his high school years (Asian Pacific Islander Club; French Club; Cathedral Water Polo; Boy Scout/Eagle Scout; Piano lessons for low-income children; and High School Mentor for children with learning disabilities).

Sebastian’s Reference Report describes him, as a “phenomenal young man” with a genuine love for learning, commitment to serving others, and mature points of view, driven by a powerful need to make the world a better place. Sebastian is considering the medical field, as a neonatologist. His choice of career is influenced by his volunteer work at UCSD with newborns and a realistic understanding of what it takes to make a career in the medical field.

Julia Torres is sponsored by her mother Monica Stanton-Torres. Julia graduated from Academy of Our Lady of Peace High School, San Diego, CA, with a 4.52 GPA.

Quoting from her applicant statement, “I had a soccer coach who stuck with my team and I for six years. Each game, almost without fail, he would tell us to “paint the field”, to pretend the ball was a paint covered marble and the field was our canvas. It was our job to cover it in swaths of color, splattering the blank white. He said it so often, that whenever he would mention this phrase, we would smile knowingly and laugh a bit. Still, it wasn’t until one of my peers told me I “paint the whole field” with my activities, that I realized how much that meant. Because it’s true, I don’t like white space, and I don’t like uneven distribution. So, I refuse to leave white space in my life, and ensure I spend my time where I want it spent.”

Julia’s family has always been supportive of Julia and her brother’s choice of activities, from her Children’s Youth Theater plays and ice-skating performances to the geocaching missions her brother and Julia went on. Julia participated in 11 different sports before high school and stuck with soccer for 12 years. In the spirit of “painting the whole field,” entering high school Julia wanted to experience anything that seemed remotely interesting. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she quickly realized the importance of focusing on activities most relevant to her future. Soon, Julia discovered her passion for cross country and track. Julia has been a varsity captain for cross country and track for the past two seasons. She invested hundreds of hours each season, not only to the sport, but to her teams. Not wanting to solely check the box of athlete, she participated in an annual musical presented by her school, by singing in the chorus each year. She also helped write and create an original play to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Since 2018 Julia has received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award each year. This award recognizes those in the nation who work towards creating a better community and dedicate at least a hundred hours a year to this goal.

Julia’s Reference Report highlights her commitment to helping others and her leadership abilities, evident in the type of community service she chooses to participate in. She is a leader on the sports field, her church, girl scouts, and various clubs on campus. Julia is seeking an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, hard to imagine a better institution for developing to her full leadership potential.

2022 LA RUE PIERCE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Ashton Nguyen is sponsored by her Grandfather John McTighe. Ashton graduated from Torrey Pines High School, San Diego, CA, with a 4.12 GPA.

Quoting from her applicant statement, “Closing my last Google Meet website tab, I finished my first day of junior year. Exhausted and questioning how life had become filled with online alternatives to what life used to be, the phone rang, bringing a message that would forevermore change my life.” Ashton’s boyfriend had passed away a few hours prior, heartbreaking news for anyone regardless of circumstances. Ashton grieved her loss, as expected, she questioned, “how something like this could happen to him, to her, to her whole community.”

Frustrated and disappointed in herself for lacking the ability to save her boyfriend, she found herself so lost in thoughts and negative actions that she needed to seek professional help to aid her healing. To change such life-altering tragedy into positive action, must require resiliency, love, maturity, and intellectual fortitude. While coping with her loss, Ashton managed to be successful in her academics, while searching for an explanation to the tragedy she was living through. She began to learn more about the invisible epidemic among her generation of mental illness and mental health struggles.
Never realizing how many people struggle with their mental health and so many more that go untreated due to stigma, she saw how within her own community and school people diminished the importance of the mental health of young people. Ashton never imagined that sharing her story could help save other people’s lives. Her school only superficially cared about mental health, promoting self-help and instituting empty policies with the ultimate goal of bettering their image. She saw an opportunity to provide more robust resources for her peers and open a conversation about mental health in her community.

Perhaps a part of her will never heal from the loss, but Ashton is willing to dedicate the rest of her life to saving people like her boyfriend. By opening the conversation about suicide and mental health within her school community, she got to see how her push to speak about challenging topics could make a difference. Leading up to National Suicide Prevention Week, her student leadership group (PACs) had many honest, vulnerable Ashton Nguyen conversations about mental health and what the school community could do to support students. These conversations had opened many people’s eyes to the mental health struggles that high schoolers were facing during the pandemic and that no one is alone in their struggles. Working with the school administration, counselors, teachers, and peers from all grade levels, she learned the many ways that people view mental health. Although it was challenging for Ashton to understand how not everyone cared about mental health and suicide prevention like she did, the conversations they had made an impact on everyone involved.

Ashton’s Reference Report states, The work Ashton has done for mental health advocacy within the school did not come without challenges and will continue to be a battle for years to come. She created real change and will continue throughout this year setting a precedent so that her school will never go without speaking about mental health and supporting students as much as they can. Ashton’s drive to enact change will continue with her into college and beyond into her career as a psychiatrist. Ashton is interested in the field of Psychology and plans to begin a pre-med course at Loyola Marymount University. Her passion has been mental health throughout her high school career and plans to continue building on her passion.

Congratulations to all our scholarship participants. Best wishes to all for continued success. Our deepest appreciation and credit for the Scholarship Program’s success goes to the Selection Committee, whose independent and confidential effort ensures the quality of results. We are most proud and honored to have them as part of the RESDC Team. □

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Theo and Evelyn Yakel 2021 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to the eight recipients of the Theo and Evelyn Yakel Scholarships for 2021! Each student received $1,500. The eight students are in alphabetical order:

Stevin Latimer, sponsored by Linda Latimer.

Ezri Potter, sponsored by Virginia Potter.

Austin Quandi, sponsored by Domna Naylor.

Jaden Rucker, sponsored by Holly Rucker.

Avani Ryan, sponsored by Sean Ryan.

Sebastian Saiki, sponsored by Roland and Lourdes Bondoc.

Kamryn Smith, sponsored by Maureen Smith.

Julia Torres, sponsored by Monica Stanton-Torres.

In 2001, RESDC member Theo Yakel and his wife, Evelyn, placed a $250,000 endowment with the San Diego Foundation for the purpose of awarding scholarships to children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of members of The Retired Employees of San Diego County. The interest from the endowment is used to fund the annual scholarships. Many thanks to Theo and Evelyn for their generous endowment to provide financial assistance to young people seeking higher education at a college or university.

The Yakel Scholarships are in addition to and complementary to the scholarships that RESDC awards. This is another opportunity for the families of RESDC members.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the 2021 Scholarship Recipients.