Scholarships of $1,000-$1,500 were awarded to deserving students from Crescenta Valley High School. All seven students had a grade point average of 4.0 and higher.

Samantha Moore will major in civil engineering at UC Irvine this fall. During her high school years she served as captain of the CV cross country and track varsity team, performed community service at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church as a senior altar server and activities leader, volunteered at the La Crescenta Library with the Summer Reading Program and was an intern last summer with the City of Glendale’s Building and Safety Division. She credits her parents with creating a strong foundation for her to learn and absorb new things, meet and work with people different from her and spread her wings to all the exciting opportunities ahead. 

“Starting collage will truly mean limitless potential and I am optimistic that I will push my boundaries to become the best possible version of myself,” she said.

Elena Markova will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall majoring in economics and focusing on becoming an entrepreneur. During the past five years with AYSO she was only the second youth girls’ assistant soccer coach and referee earning the award for Youth Volunteer of the Year. She also taught English to students in Cambodia over video chat through TASSEL. Through this experience she has “witnessed the detrimental effects of a lack of a solid education and I would like to be able to help those around me have a better future and, in turn, make the world a better place.”

Isabella Doom started keeping a journal when she was a very young girl that has become a lifetime experience. She will be attending CSU Long Beach with the goal of attaining her teaching credential and master’s degree in childhood development. She is a hard worker and when she sets her mind on achieving something she knows she will accomplish it. Doom has been a Girl Scout for 10 years earning her bronze and silver awards by donating books and helping to paint a mural on a kindergarten playground. She was a member of her church youth group which made food for the homeless and donated socks to homeless shelters plus playing high school and club volleyball serving in the position of captain for both teams. Her faith in God is an important part of her life and “has strongly influenced the person I have become.” She also credits the lessons she has learned from both her parents and grandmother (an active member of the Kiwanis LCLCa Club) with helping her become the person she is today.

Madeline Yi will be the first sibling in her family to attend college majoring in public policy at UC Irvine. She was very active in high school and served as captain of the CV varsity swim team and as a member of the National Honor Society. Many of her activities involved working with young children through a campus beautification project at Monte Vista Elementary School, teaching preschool Sunday school at The Vine Church and tutoring two young girls in reading and math and helping them to reach grade level standards. She knows that these experiences have given her the ability to aid others in tangible ways.

“As my generation has inherited many challenges, I know I will be one of many who acts with resilience and motivation to usher in progress,” Yi said. “I aim to live as a conscientious citizen, advocating for continual positive change.”

Eve McCreary will major in political science at UC Santa Barbara. She has earned the Gold Award as a Girl Scout for 12 years, been an advocate for student needs by joining the Parent Teachers Student Association and was copy editor and senior writer for the CV Falcon newspaper with her own column: Eve’s Editorial.  She wants to continue working to be an advocate for those who cannot be one for themselves, “to raise other people’s voices to speak louder and more confidently.”

Keegan Schmit will attend UCLA majoring in applied mathematics with a career goal in medical research. He is the founder and president of Hospital Heroes helping to improve the children’s hospital experiences by reducing their anxiety. He also raised funds for Children’s Hospital Child Life Program, and sponsored, recruited and collected 83 pints of blood during three blood drives through the American Red Cross. As a two-time CV basketball captain he was able to put an end to bullying by encouraging the older players to become mentors to the younger players, which brought everyone closer via group chat and built friendships that spread beyond the court. He feels that he will work very hard to “fulfill my potential in college. I will be active; I will seek leadership opportunities and fight through any adversity I encounter.”

Brendon Harvey will focus on having a STEM-related career while studying at BYU. As a Boy Scout for the past 10 years he earned his Eagle Award by installing a Japanese Friendship Garden at a dual immersion language elementary school, was a senior patrol leader mentoring other scouts on their projects, volunteered with the ACAC program helping to contribute food, clothing, school supplies and holiday gifts to foster children, and was president of the church youth group planning team building and service activities. One thing he hopes to do is to “bring to the world through my college education an understanding that we have more in common with others than we realize.”

Two students who graduated from the Hillside School and Learning Center are also recipients of scholarships.

Lauren Tolbert is looking ahead to college and majoring in either veterinary medicine with a minor in psychology or majoring in nutrition with a minor in sports medicine. She graduated early from Hillside and considers high school a stepping stone to the rest of her life.

“I plan to make [my life] one of prosperity and growth. Throughout many triumphs and challenges, the past four years have truly been the most defining in my 16 years of life, so far,” she said.

She acknowledged her struggles with anorexia and the challenges of re-routing her schooling “in a way that not only served my education, but mental health as well. I have truly discovered depths within my soul that I once believed were non-existent.”

She attributed the “iconic” David Bowie, who once said, “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

Matteo Roukes credits Hillside with a framework that supported his learning style and allowed him to complete his high school education in three years, giving him the freedom, as a 16-year-old, to freely explore his passion for music, voice, theater and photography. 

“Singing has been part of my life for as long as I can remember and is always part of my day. The almost-100,000 photos saved on my computer is a testament to my love of photography. And I have to mention my love of dogs: our two, Pablo and Paloma, as well as any other dog that crosses my path.”

He added his excitement in moving forward to begin classes at Pasadena City College in the fall to deepen his knowledge in these areas of interest.

“I plan to transfer to a college or university that will allow me to further pursue my chosen field in-depth, and I’m excited to see where these studies will lead me,” he said.