The Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce kicked off the 2018-2019 Student of the Month Program in September. The students are nominated by their teachers and staff at their respective school sites and are chosen for their character, integrity, love of learning, ability to persevere and overcome challenging circumstances, community service, and how they make a difference on their high school campus.
January’s students and their families attended a breakfast sponsored by the Perris and Menifee Chambers of Commerce along with local businesses and organizations. Principals and teachers from each high school shared stories about the students and they each received certificates of recognition, numerous gifts, congratulations and encouragement from Local, County, State and Federal Dignitaries.
Channa Hart is Paloma Valley High School’s Student of the Month. She is an outstanding student who is in the top 10 of her class out of 695 students. Her current GPA is 4.291 and she takes a number of AP courses and Honors classes. She is also involved in band and is captain of the girls Varsity Volleyball team among other extracurricular activities. With all these impressive accomplishments, it is hard to imagine that Channa struggled to overcome her fear speaking and interacting with others. By her own admission, Channa shared that she used to be extremely shy and lacked confidence in herself and would barely speak to anyone. In order to accomplish her goals though, she knew she had to make some changes and face her fears. “Everything needed to change in me. I had to or I would be left behind”, she said. She started out by observing others and asking questions and eventually started to slowly come out of her shell. She has no regrets on having to work through her fears and now she speaks with others and encourages them as well. Channa plans to attend a four year university and major in psychology.
California Military Institute, Aaron Leyva, is January’s Student of the Month. Aaron has had to overcome some major challenges in his life to be able to accomplish what he has so far. What would normally break a young life has made him stronger and has gained him the respect of staff and students. Living in East Los Angeles, in a two bedroom home with another family, and witnessing heavy gang violence, was difficult for Aaron and his family. However, none of that compared to losing his father at the age of 10. Not only did he have to deal with the loss of his father, but he also had to step up and help take care of his sister who has special needs. Aaron recalled some of his conversations with his dad before his passing and remembered the lessons he learned from him including respect, humility, and kindness. Aaron now exemplifies these qualities as he mentors and encourages incoming freshman through his involvement in Link Crew. Moving to Perris and attending CMI has afforded him many opportunities and has helped him gain confidence for his future. He plans on attending college and will choose a career that would help others.
Kamea Taylor is Heritage High School’s Student of the Month. She is an exceptional student. She holds several leadership roles on campus including President of AVID, Captain of the Varsity Basketball team, Vice President of Make a Wish Club, among others. She is a natural born leader as demonstrated when she organized an appreciation campaign after the Florida shooting last year. Students were encouraged to write something that they admired about another student which helped them feel validated and worthy. Kamea’s Basketball Coach, Ms. Meijer, validated her commitment to the school and specifically to the basketball team. She has been a part of the Varsity team all four years of high school and has maintained over a 4.0 GPA during that time. “It takes a lot of work, dedication, commitment, and discipline to accomplish all that”, she said. One thing that Kamea learned is that as long as someone works hard and they believe in themselves, they can accomplish anything. She will take that lesson with her to college. She applied to several colleges including UCLA, UCI, and Cal Baptist among others. She plans on majoring in political science and becoming a lawyer.
Perris High School’s Student of the Month is Adam Gomez. Adam and his family moved to Perris when he was five years old. When he started school he struggled greatly and was not able to read or write for a very long time. However, through the support he received, and a lot of hard work, he was able to overcome his challenges and is now an active reader and writer. That tenacity earned him a Student of the Month nomination. His teachers recognized his efforts as some of their comments were: “He brings his A game to class everyday” and “he’s overcome so much and has never given up despite his adversities”. His English teacher, Ms. Osuna shared that she has gained so much from having Adam in her class. “I learn more from him than he learns from me” she said. Adam has been involved in JROTC all four years at Perris High and is the Battalion Medic. As a leader, he has created and organized Battalion Medic training for students and is also the Battalion Disaster Preparedness Captain along with being certified with Riverside County. One of the main things Adam learned while at Perris High is honor. To him honor means having the goal to keep true to oneself and to follow through to the end. He will be taking that lesson with him as he continues his education to become a doctor.
All of these students demonstrated a desire to work hard and have a drive to exceed others and their own expectations. The Perris Valley Chamber and the Menifee Valley Chamber wish them the best in their endeavors. If you wish to learn more about the Student of the Month Program, please contact Founder, Sally Myers at (951) 506-8024.
