Lake Elsinore Chamber honors area students in April

Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News

The Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program, celebrating its 27th season of honoring students who make a difference, held its final monthly recognition of the current school year Tuesday, April 11, at the Lakeside High School Lancer Round Table Café. Lunch was prepared and served by members of the Lakeside Culinary Academy.

Kim Joseph Cousins, CEO and president of the Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce, served as master of ceremonies and said this event always “gives me promise and hope for the future.”

The local high school recognition program, founded by Sally Myers in partnership with the chamber, acknowledges and honors college or trade school bound seniors for their character, their love of learning and commitment to academics in addition to participation in athletics, school activities and community service. It also commends those who have persevered through challenging life circumstances, all in a setting that honors God, country, family, community and free enterprise.

Large bags filled with gifts, certificates of recognition and much more donated by the program’s sponsors were given to the award recipients. Each student received a medallion and 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.

April’s students of the month are Elsinore High School’s Lily Hotchkiss and David Menendez, Keith McCarthy Academy’s Aidan Brazelton, Lakeside High School’s Alejandro Arana and Kimberly Ruiz and Temescal Canyon High School’s Harrison Rowe and Eliese Ruiz.

Elsinore High School

Lily Hotchkiss has a 4.43 GPA, is an ASB leader, National Honor Society member and captain of the girls’ varsity swim team. She is the third in her family to stand on the Student of the Month stage and said her older siblings were inspiring role models for her.

“As I look forward to going to college in the fall, I hope to continue to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone,” Hotchkiss said.

She has received multiple college acceptance letters, including one as an aerospace engineering major, but has not made a definite decision as to which one she will attend. Her nominating teacher, Crystal Hofmann, said Hotchkiss and her friends started the Cool Socks Club of which she is the president.

“They ended up recruiting more members than any other club on campus and host engaging activities to bring kids together,” Hofmann said. “Lily’s positive energy is contagious.”

Principal Robbin Hamilton introduced David Menendez with the first formal announcement that he is the class of 2023 valedictorian. With a 4.59 GPA, he was a varsity two-sport athlete, an AP scholar and part of the CTE program for photography.

“Life undoubtedly comes with its unique challenges that shape us into the people we become,” Menendez said. “Those which occur in the formative years of our youth are the most important.”

Menendez said that because he came from a Spanish-speaking household, he was placed in the English learner program in elementary school.

“Being labeled an English learner made me feel lesser than my peers so I decided that I needed to work twice as hard in all subjects,” he said. “A decade later, I’m now excelling in (college) dual enrollment English and I will be attending the University of California Berkeley in the fall.”

Menendez plans to study electrical engineering and computer science.

Keith McCarthy Academy Aidan Brazelton was recognized by principal Peter Hopping for leading by example.

“I do my best to help others and always try my best in all I do,” Brazelton said. “The most important life lesson I have learned is to ask questions when I have them.”

He gives back to the community by volunteering at the local animal shelter. Brazelton shared that when he was younger, he was in the 100-Mile Club and would always try to reach the 100-mile goal so he could get one of the medals at the end of the school year but was not successful.

“But that didn’t stop me from trying and eventually I did reach the goal by the end of eighth grade,” Brazelton said as he held up the medal he had won back then.

“This is the persistence I have that has carried me through my high draw as I prepare for college where I plan to explore 3D animation and create my own animation channel where I will improve my skills as an animator.”

Lakeside High School

Alejandro Arana was one of two exceptional Lakeside High School Lancers that Principal Henry Romero introduced. Cited for being highly involved with many programs at Lakeside such as AVID, Advanced Placement classes, varsity water polo, varsity golf and the chess club, Arana’s teachers said, “He engages in the learning process.”

He has aspirations of becoming a sports manager and possibly working in the field of sports law.

He thanked his teacher Michelle Hendricks for “highlighting qualities I didn’t know I had, specifically communication and a way of bringing people together.” Hendricks said

Arana has a vibe and energy about him and knows how to make connections with people to make them feel valued.

Kimberly Ruiz is involved in many extracurricular activities as well. Romero said she has taken about five concurrent enrollment classes through Mt. San Jacinto College, has been in AVID all four years, is a theater tech, president of the Sports Medicine Club and a member of the book club, chess club and girls’ tennis team. She plans to attend California State University San Bernardino with hopes of pursuing a career as a physician’s assistant.

Her teachers said, “Kimberly has a great deal of Lancer pride and will undoubtedly bring that energy to the next chapter of her life.”

She said the biggest obstacle she had to overcome was growing up.

“Growing up isn’t just a physical action that happens to a person; it’s a change in mentality and awareness of oneself – that’s really growing up,” Ruiz said. “I learned what honesty and trust meant to my family.”

Temescal Canyon High School

Harrison Rowe was introduced by Temescal Canyon High School

Principal Joshua Hill as being a very involved student. He is captain of the mountain bike team, president of the Clay Club and the SoCal Youth Cycling Association, engineering club vice president, serves as senior representative for the PTSA and works at the student store on campus.

Harrison plans to attend Southern Utah University in Cedar City where he will study engineering technology with an emphasis on computer-aided design and manufacturing. Rowe would like to design and improve things in the transportation industry. Harrison said the most significant life lesson he has learned came from his time of doing online learning during the pandemic.

“I learned to not take anything or anyone for granted. I learned to not take a handshake, a conversation or even a face-to-face hello for granted. I never imagined a world where everyone felt so alone. Returning to school with friends and sports again was the best gift and feeling ever,” Rowe said. Principal Joshua Hill said Eliese Ruiz has made an impact at the school by being an International Baccalaureate diploma student who serves as secretary for its leadership group, being on the varsity dance team all four years and as a member of the Interact and Spanish clubs. She plans to attend either California State University Fullerton or California State University San Diego to study kinesiology with hopes to pursue a career as a physical therapist.

“The best part of being so active in almost everything is the valuable life skills that I have learned along the way, and I have been able to use those skills to advance within my community and academic life,” Ruiz said.

She felt that one of the greatest contributions she has made to her community was working with her IB group to start a small baked goods business. Profits were used to partner with the school’s arts and crafts club to create a fun Halloween event at the school for kids in the area.

“We learned so many things while running this business,” Ruiz said.

For more information on the program, contact Kim Joseph Cousins at 951-245-8848.