VISTA — The Vista Chamber of Commerce held its second annual Rising Star of the Year Scholarship Breakfast on May 12.
The chamber holds monthly breakfast meetings throughout the school year to honor local school seniors, celebrating 50 seniors from eight different high schools throughout the school year. Those 50 students were eligible to apply for the Rising Star Scholarship and 11 students were awarded college scholarships at the Rising Star of the Year event.
The mission statement of the Rising Star of the Month is to bring the community together to honor local high school seniors for demonstrating character, integrity, love of learning, involvement in school and community activities and/or the ability to overcome challenging life circumstances without compromising their education. The core of the Rising Star of the Month is the student who makes a difference in their home, school and community with sincerity and passion.
Honored at the breakfast were:
— Ranessa Austin (Guajome Park Academy) – attending Cal. State University San Marcos and majoring in criminal justice.
— Olivia Trillizio (Tri-City Christian) – attending UC Davis and studying psychology, to become a therapist.
— Jenna Steffan (North County Trade Tech High) – attending Brightwood College to become a medical assistant.
— Leslie Martinez (Vista High School) – attending Cal Poly Pomona with double major in criminology and biology.
— Mark McGreal (Vista High School) – attending UCLA and studying economics. He hopes to start a non-profit organization to help youth understand how to manage money better.
— Steven Harris (Vista High School) – going on a mission trip through his church for the next two years to Chile. After completing his mission, Steven plans to attend BYU.
— Guadalupe Bolanos (Major General Raymond Murray) – graduated early and is already attending Palomar College. After completing her A.A., she plans to attend CSU Fresno to study criminology and plans to become a forensic investigator.
— Crystal Rojas (Mission Vista High School) – attending San Diego State in the fall and studying psychology. She hopes to become a counselor or therapist.
— Xipatly Montano (Alta Vista High School) – attending Mira Costa College and studying biology with a focus on the prevention of animal cruelty.
— Lea Zaric (Rancho Buena Vista) – valedictorian of RBV this year, will be attending USCD and studying neuroscience and biology, to become a neurologist.
— Alyssa Maloney (Rancho Buena Vista) – attending UCLA in the fall and majoring in history, with plans to become a history professor.
Eight students will receive a $1,000 scholarship and three students will receive an $850 scholarship, all provided by local business sponsors.
