ACADEMIC ALL-STARS

They’ve accomplished much in their academic careers. They are athletes,

volunteers and scholars. And today, we acknowledge their contributions to

their schools and their community.

Fourteen students are recipients of the Les Miller Outstanding Student

Award, presented by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Additionally,

this year the Daily Pilot is including the top 12 students from each of

Costa Mesa’s two high schools. All of them, including Orange Coast

College’s two Outstanding Athletes, will be recognized and honored this

morning at a special breakfast hosted by the chamber at the Doubletree

Hotel.

Each student’s resume boasts a long list of achievements. And they have

managed to do all these things while maintaining very high grade-point

averages.

The following are thumbnail sketches of each Academic All-star:

Abraham L. Inouye

School: Estancia High School

GPA: 3.821

School activities: Varsity cross country, twice competed in state

competition, member of PCL championship team (two years); lifetime

member, CSF; Key Club; vice president of French Club; editor in chief of

school newspaper, El Aguila; member, Estancia Choir; Newport Beach Youth

Hand bell Choir.

Awards and achievements: NROTC scholarship up to $85,000; Eagle Scout

rank by Boy Scouts of America; delegate, 1999 California Golden Boys

State.

Community activities: AYSO soccer; yearly volunteer, boat operator for

Back Bay Clean Up Day and for Free Fishing Day in Back Bay Ecological

Reserve; Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard; member, Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints.

Future plans: To travel from Taiwan across Siberia to Europe; enroll at

UCLA in the fall; the following year go on a two-year church mission;

return to and graduate from UCLA; attend graduate school for a degree to

practice law with the Judge Advocate General.

Robin Letostak

School: Estancia High School

GPA: 4.310

School activities: Drama Club; CSF; captain, junior varsity swim team;

Key Club; Student Venture (Christian Club); publishing Christian Teens

Newsletter.

Awards and achievements: Outstanding Female Monologue at Chapman

Shakespeare Festival; Student of the Year for geometry and Spanish; Zonta

girl of the month; E.I. Moore Memorial Award; first place,

English-speaking Union Essay Contest.

Future plans: Hasn’t made a college choice, but intends to major in

English and minor in psychology to become a writer and college or high

school English teacher.

Joel Tyler Johansen

School: Estancia High School

GPA: 3.780

School activities: Basketball, golf; California Scholastic Federation.

Awards and achievements: Honor roll.

Community activities: Orange County Community Orchestra; Boy Scouts;

member of Sage Bluegrass Band; Bluegrass Brethren and Christ Lutheran

Contemporary Praise Service; assistant editor of Harbor Soaring Society

Newsletter; and World Class Model Aviation Pilot.

Future Plans: To attend OCC before transferring to a UC school, majoring

in computer science.

Cynthia Cuevas

School: Estancia High School

GPA: 4.244

School activities: French Club; Mecha Club; Spanish Club; treasurer, Key

Club; CSF; cross country, track and field.

Future plans: To attend Harvard to ultimately obtain a doctorate and

become a pediatrician.

Farshid Kazi

School: Costa Mesa High School

GPA: 4.34

School activities: Math, French, Asian and Spanish clubs; Web page

committee; Key Club; ASB president; student school board representative;

tennis, soccer; co-founder of roller hockey team.

Awards and achievements: Kiwanis Athlete of the Month, April 1999; MVP,

tennis team, junior year; CSF; Honor Wall; Academic Letter; created

lab-based curriculum to be taught by high school volunteers to local

elementary students.

Community activities: Hoag Hospital volunteer, more than 300 hours; Aids

Walk; Mesa 5000; Pennies for Patients volunteer; Neighbors for Neighbors;

and serving food at a local shelter.

Future plans: To major in Biomedical Ethics and become a cardiovascular

surgeon.

Magdalena Sandoval

School: Costa Mesa High School

GPA: 4.25

School activities: Concert Choir, Vocal Ensemble and Madrigals; Math

Team; Key Club; pianist, Jazz Band; Assistant Activities Commissioner;

captain, varsity golf; junior varsity tennis; junior varsity basketball.

Awards and achievements: Medallion winner, Performing Arts; MVP, golf

team, junior year; Most Dedicated, Madrigal Choir (1999); MACY Bright

Spot Award, MACY Small Ensemble Award; Who’s Who Among American High

School Students; Outstanding Soprano II, Outstanding Alto.

Community activities: Volunteer, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen; Neighbors

for Neighbors; member, Pacific Youth Chorale; writes “Teen Scene” in the

Costa Mesa Breeze.

Future plans: To attend Stanford as a math major.

Jason Cabico

School: Costa Mesa High School

GPA: 4.27

School activities: Madrigal Choir; French Club; Math Club; Math Team;

Mock Trial; Activities Commissioner; varsity water polo, swimming.

Awards and achievements: National Hispanic Scholar; E.I. Moore Award;

Boys State; Honor Wall; Who’s Who Among American High School Students;

Underclass Medallions for English, social studies.

Community activities: Key Club service; math tutoring; Advisory Committee

of Teens to the city of Costa Mesa.

Future plans: To major in math, economics or government with career goals

in law, finance or as an actuary.

Sarah Cotton

School: Costa Mesa High School

GPA: 4.31

School activities: Yearbook Committee, editor in chief; ASB Secretary;

Zonta Girl; Math Club; CSF; varsity cross country, varsity track and

field, water polo.

Awards and achievements: Girls State Alternate; Mathematics Medallion;

Toshiba Scholarship; Foot Action Scholarship; Regent’s Scholar;

Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute Scholarship.

Community activities: Math tutoring; Key Club service; Children’s

Ministry Leader.

Future plans: To attend MIT, major in mathematics and architecture, then

pursue graduate studies at a California university.

Frank Douglas Fitus

School: Back Bay High School

GPA: 3.5

School activities: Participation in accelerated and special classes; ROP

program, Cisco networking, Web site development, computer support

Services; violin, piano and guitar.

Awards and achievements: Best of Class; Honor Roll.

Community activities: Partnering Education and Community program, hosted

by Balboa Instruments.

Future plans: Special effects for the motion picture industry.

Jamie Grace

School: Monte Vista High School

GPA: 3.5

School activities: Varsity softball, team captain; soccer; Photo Club;

Spanish Club; production of school plays, art shows.

Awards and achievements: MVP, varsity softball two consecutive years at

Victor Valley High School; second place, 1999 Art Show for Creativity;

photography has appeared in art shows throughout her school career.

Future plans: To attend the Art Institute of Los Angeles and pursue a

bachelor’s degree in graphic design with a future career goal to start

her own business in the magazine field.

Ryan Simpkins

School: Orange Coast College

GPA: Not available

School activities: District Student Council; budget committee;

legislative committee; finance committee; Associated Students business

manager; Recycling Center Task force chairman; member of OCC Theatre

Repertory.

Awards and achievements: Student Leader Award; Joseph R. Kroll Student

Leader of the Year Award; Jeffrey Dimsdale Student Leadership Award;

David A. Grant Scholarship; Cindy Coggeshall Memorial Scholarship; Paul

Mitchell Public Policy Scholarship.Community activities: Founded

California Intersegmental Student Coalition, which has brought together

students of the University of California, California State University,

community colleges and private universities with a common purpose -- the

first effort being the creation of legislation to repeal the tax on

textbooks.

Future plans: To attend USC, majoring in film and video.

Jenny Miller

School: Orange Coast College

GPA: Not available

School activities: Head Start Literacy chairwoman; Associated Students

historian; food drive chairwoman; Children’s Center events chairwoman;

student trustee; Early Childhood Education Club president; High School

Scholarship Committee; InterClub Council One-Shots.

Awards and achievements: Student Leader Award; Joseph R. Kroll Student

Leader of the Year; Marie Howes Scholarship; Jeffrey Dimsdale Student

Leadership Award; Constance Coiner and Ana Duarte-Coiner Memorial

Scholarship; Mary Belcher Early Childhood Education Scholarship.

Community activities: Volunteer for Goodwill, Aldersgate United Methodist

Church Theater Group and Habitat for Humanity.

Future plans: To transfer to either Cal State Fullerton or Cal Poly-San

Luis Obispo to major in Early Childhood Education.

Leslie N. Shaefer

School: Vanguard University

GPA: 3.89

School activities: Captain, forensics/debate team; writing for the school

newspaper; teaching assistant; ASB Senator; Concert Choir, Vanguard

Orchestra; Writing Center consultant; presenter at Social Science

Colloquium; Sociology Club officer.

Awards and achievements: Dean’s List every semester; National Merit

Scholarship; member, Delta Kappa (Vanguard’s honor society), Phi Alpha

Theta (history honor society) and Alpha Kappa Delta (sociology honor

society).

Community activities: Volunteer, California Institution for Women

(Convicted Women Against Abuse); spoken-word poet and hip hop recording

artist; member, Juvenile Hall Team; editor, Underground Fire Magazine;

involved in anti-death penalty and corrections reform activism.

Future plans: Full assistantship plus a $10,000 stipend to attend the

University of Florida in pursuit of a PhD in sociology; wants to research

wrongful convictions, incarcerated battered women, and death penalty

innocence cases.

Luke Hagenbach

School: Vanguard University

GPA: 3.90

School activities: Intramural basketball, softball; counseling youth in

crises via the youth crisis hotline; promoting on-campus concerts and

serving as a teaching assistant for two professors.

Awards and achievements: Sophomore Class president; Assistant Manager of

COVE (the student union), COVE coordinating council; member of Delivery

Boys, a traveling public relations team; Presidential Scholarship;

member, Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology; member, Delta

Kappa.

Community activities: Volunteer as a mentor to troubled children for the

O.C. Dept. of Mental Health, Children and Youth Services; volunteer

leader in a local youth group.

Future plans: Works full-time at Olive Crest Foster and Adoption Agency

as Family Services Coordinator; will enter a clinical psychology PhD.

program in fall of 2001 at UCLA, NYU or Washington State University.

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS -- Costa Mesa High School

Edson Cruz

GPA: 4.2

Activities: Varsity soccer, varsity track

Barry Witt

GPA: 4.19

Activities: Math Team; Mock Trial; treasurer, Web page committee; Key

Club; church assistant.

Jackie Nguyen

GPA: 4.17

Activities: Varsity cross country; president, Spanish Club; publicity

coordinator and vice president, Key Club; treasurer, Vietnamese Student

Assn.; Aids Walk volunteer.

Jenny Lee

GPA: 4.13

Activities: Madrigal Choir; staff member, School Literary Magazine;

varsity tennis; Senior Class Secretary; volunteer, Orange County Public

Library.

Michelle Nguyen

GPA: 4.13

Activities: Editor in chief, school newspaper; Freshman Class Secretary,

Sophomore Class Secretary; ASB Secretary; Key Club.

Daylyn Kelley

GPA: 4.03

Activities: Yearbook; varsity volleyball; Key Club; youth volleyball

coach.

Diem Chau Huynh

GPA: 4.1

Activities: Varsity tennis; treasurer and president, Soroptimist Club.

Minh Thi Doan

GPA: 4.0

Activities: Varsity tennis; vice president and treasurer, Soroptimist

Club; MVP and Sportsmanship Award, tennis team; church group member.

Long Nguyen

GPA: 4.0

Activities: Mesa Club; Key Club

John Wald

GPA: 4.0

Activities: Video production; journalism; Madrigal Choir; Web page

committee; Video Production Medallion; volunteer lifeguard; recreational

leader.

Caroline Siefert

GPA: 4.26

Activities: vice president, Speech Team; Mock Trial; Mesa Club, Freshman

Class Vice President; first place, Rotary Speech Tournament; Kiwanis

Club; Aids Foundation.

Levina Tran

GPA: 4.25

Activities: Mesa Club; Speech Team; Mock Trial; CSF; Junior Class

Secretary; ASB Vice President; Letter of Commendation from National Merit

Scholarship Program; Women and Mathematics Award; AP Scholar Award; Key

Club; volunteer, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen.

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS -- Estancia High School

Wendy Padilla

GPA: 3.79

Activities: Varsity wrestling, softball; Senior Class Treasurer;

co-captain, junior varsity wrestling; Zonta Girl for January; National

Hispanic Merit Scholar; volunteer, Fairview Developmental Center, St.

Joachim Catholic Church, Speak Out for Youth, Re-Leaf Costa Mesa.

Katelyn J. Aronson

GPA: 3.99

Activities: Varsity cross country, track; French Club; Girl Scout Gold

Award; lifetime member, CSF; reading tutor at Wilson Elementary School;

Key Club; Habitat for Humanity; helped renovate children’s library at

Early Childhood Learning Center in Costa Mesa.

Megan S. Fissel

GPA: 3.87

Activities: Junior varsity soccer; yearbook staff; CSF; production drama;

Key Club; Zonta Girl of the Month; Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center;

Amigos de Bolsa Chica and Bolsa Chica Land Trust; Human Rights Campaign;

Democratic Party of El Paso County.

Meghan E. Fay

GPA: 3.93

Activities: Student government; student school board representative;

varsity soccer, club soccer, varsity track and field; ASB President, ASB

Vice President, Sophomore Class President; Girl Scouts, Campfire Boys and

Girls; helped pass anti-tobacco ordinance.

Lauren E. Young

GPA: 3.98

Activities: Varsity girls golf; CSF; Adopt-a-Family program; Tournament

of Roses Parade; set building for elementary school play.

Jennifer Ollila

GPA: 3.77

Activities: Varsity basketball; band; volunteer, Habitat for Humanity,

Interfaith Shelter, Harbor Trinity Preschool, organizing and running Girl

Scout camp-outs.

Laura L. Cote

GPA: 4.15

Activities: Girls varsity golf; Aviation Club; Drama Club; student

representative, SITE council; developed and directed Estancia Volunteer

Bureau; volunteer, Interfaith Shelter; started interactive preschool

story time; helped organize Estancia’s Adopt-A-Family program.

Yuliya B. Entina

GPA: 3.66

Activities: Water polo; Key Club; Golden State Exam honors, composition

writing and U.S. government; high honors, chemistry recognition,

geometry; volunteer translator, Russian to English.

Rebecca A. Lenhart

GPA: 3.72

Activities: Varsity volleyball, basketball; sailing instructor; assistant

secretary, International Sabot Assn.; assistant basketball coach.

Raul Bejar

GPA: 3.71

Activities: Football, soccer; CSF; Neighbors for Neighbors;mentor,

Community Cleanup.

Jessica M. Nelson

GPA: 4.166

Activities: Drill Team; Drama Club; Aviation Club; lifetime member, CSF;

Adopt-A-Family.

Becca M. Silva

GPA: 3.92

Activities: Student government; CSF; varsity girls soccer, track and

field; Campfire Boys and Girls, Speakout! Program; helped pass

anti-tobacco ordinance; service activities through church.