Page 7 Foothills Sentry JUNE 2025 Visit Our Showroom 13031 Newport Ave. Suite 114, Tustin, CA FREE Estimate & 3D Drawing Financing Available o.a.c. 21 Months 0% Interest On Approved Credit www.CabinetFB.com Licensed and Insured (714) 422-4000 Assistance League of Orange hosted the Class of 2025 Scholarship Awardees at a luncheon, May 2. They celebrated the achievements of this year’s scholarship recipients, whose talents and dedication align with the core values of the organization. Students submitted comprehensive applications, including an essay, resume, transcripts and a letter of recommendation. The selection process was highly competitive, with a record 61 applicants. After thorough review, 25 high school seniors were awarded scholarships totaling $58,000. Samuel Mendoza, this year’s recipient of the Eugenia Love Arts Scholarship, spoke about the transformative impact of his mentor Michael Short, a local musical legend. As a participant in both band and choir, Samuel shared how music has enriched his life, and how he hopes to inspire future generations as he pursues a degree in music education. Emily Mercado recounted how backpacks and uniforms from Operation School Bell (an Assistance League philanthropy) during her earlier school years helped her feel a sense of belonging and boosted her self-esteem. Now, as a scholarship recipient, Emily described this moment as coming full circle, with the Assistance League once again supporting her as she heads off to college. The program is made possible through the work of the Scholarship Committee, co-chaired by Alice Prothero and Tanis Nelson, who devote countless hours to reviewing and ranking applications. For information about the philanthropies of the organization, see assistanceleague.org/orange. Scholarship recipient Emily Merado The 2025 scholarship awardees are, from left, front: Makayla Nguyen, Anya Chopra, Claire Elliott, Yadhyra Ramirez, Xochitl Carmona, Krystal Gonzalez, Briseyda Aguirre; back row, from left: Alina Casares, Gabriel Gomez, Ariana Kang, Henry Lloyd, Victoria Mendoza Malo Juvera, Gray De La Rivera, Daniel Salinas, Samuel Mendoza Rodriguez, Karelle Soriano, Diego Flores Vazquez, Teresa Ngo, Emily Merado and Cyra Tran. From left, Alice Prothero, Scholarships Co-Chair; Michael Short; Mike Escobedo, Advisory Council; and Tanis Nelson, Scholarships Co-chair Scholarship recipient Samuel Mendoza Rodriguez Assistance League of Orange celebrates scholarship awardees McPherson students excel in science competitions Nathan Lew's science project placed third in the "Product Science" category at the California State Science Fair held at California Lutheran University. Nathan Lew, an eighth grader, was one of two students from McPherson Magnet School to advance from the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair to the California State Science and Engineering Fair, where he competed against students from throughout the state. Nathan's project, “A Bubbly Concoction,” explored the effect different sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, steviol glycoside) have on carbonation levels in homemade ginger beer. His was one of 800 projects from throughout the state at this year's fair, and one of 27 projects in the Junior Division "Product Science" category. Two teams from McPherson Magnet School placed in the Science Olympiad, Air Trajectory Build at the California Regionals. JJ Sanchez, a seventh grader, and partner Oliver Walton, an eighth grade student, placed third; Nathan Lew and Damani Hadden, both eighth graders, took fifth place. Under the direction of coaches Bob and Karen Ashford, the students began planning and spending nights and weekends since early October to build a cannon that could be altered to accurately shoot a ping-pong ball at a target, with the coordinates speciThe Air Trajectory teams are, from left JJ Sanchez, Nathan Lew, Damani Hadden and Oliver Walton. fied only at the competition. The teams had to react quickly, and accurately compute and refine the trajectory to hit the coordinates. The Science Olympiad program has been in place for only four years at McPherson, led by science teacher Kayee Conrad. Nathan Lew at state competition
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