The Hemet/San Jacinto Student of the Month program kicked off the 2024-2025 academic year with its recognition breakfast at the Maze Stone at Soboba Springs Golf Course on Sept. 5. Seven local high school seniors were recognized and honored for their character, love of learning and commitment to academics in addition to their involvement in school and community activities and their ability and resiliency in overcoming difficult life challenges. And they do this all in a setting that honors God, country, family, community and free enterprise. Students are nominated by teachers or other school personnel for making a difference in their homes, schools and communities.
Local program founder and Student of the Month Committee member Karena Zermeno, who also represents one of the sponsors Altura Credit Union, emceed the event. She noted that along with new faces for this year’s honorees, there have been some important personnel changes as well. San Jacinto High School welcomed new principal Lloyd Sheppard and San Jacinto Leadership Academy has grown to include its first senior class and will be included in the rotation of alternative schools. Another change is the addition of Diamond Sponsors for those that want to provide even more support to the community-based program than what was expected at the Platinum Sponsors level.
“Students, the reason we are here is for you; just know that you are our motivation,” Zermeno said. “Every month, I leave this event humbled and I feel encouraged to go out and face the world and overcome any challenge after hearing your stories.”
Each student was invited to the podium to share their personal story, past and/or current 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.
September’s students of the month from Hemet Unified School District are Trevor Comstock, Sadie Dinnyes, Bellynn Kincaid, Alexis Rackley and Ravin Vandergriff. San Jacinto Unified’s honorees for September are Angel Iglesias and Jazzlyn “Jazzy” Mancinas.
Hemet Unified School District
Trevor Comstock
Tahquitz High School singled out Trevor this month because of his strong academics, his leadership roles as part of ASB where he builds school culture, and his athletic talents as a member of the water polo team. His teacher Lee Jones said, “He goes out of his way to be supportive and has a quick wit and hardworking personality.” Trevor believes his greatest contribution to his community and family is to be able to bring laughter and joy to everyone around him as well as always trying to lighten up the mood when given the opportunity. In elementary school he lost his father to melanoma skin cancer which resulted in him having to be vigilant about his own predisposition to the disease for the rest of his life. In June of 2023, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “A mix of confusion and sadness hit me,” Trevor said. This past summer, his mother completed her chemotherapy treatments. “She taught me to cherish every single moment with family and friends and to not take anything for granted,” he said. His plans are to enlist in the Coast Guard after graduation and then start a Burger Shack with his family. He currently works at Hangar One restaurant at Hemet-Ryan Airport. A quote from Benjamin Franklin that Trevor likes to think about often is, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today.”
Sadie Dinnyes
Hamilton High School counselor Jason Sonnier introduced Sadie on behalf of Athletic Director Patrick Williams, who nominated her and said she has excelled in track and cross country and has found academic success through her CTE nursing pathway. Sonnier said he has been in education for 23 years and counseling for 19 and seeing the amazing transformation she has made in the past couple of years totally fills his heart and makes him so proud of her. Sadie said, “The year 2022 was the hardest year of my life. I started out as a straight A student, doing academically well. Despite that, I still went home and cut on myself every day. At the same time, my mom had terminal cancer. On April 10, I decided to jump off a bridge, partly due to my mental issues and also because I couldn’t stand the thought of having to say goodbye to my mom one day.” When her mother was placed on hospice, Sadie was released early from the hospital but continued to spiral and was placed in foster care temporarily. “Watching my mom lose her life and dealing with my own struggles has given me the motivation to become a hospice and psychiatric nurse and to give people the help and comfort they need during the times they are struggling,” Sadie said. “I wish to show people it’s okay to accept your past and to come to terms with the bad experiences.”
Bellynn Kincaid
Western Center Academy teacher Melanie Thornburg introduced Bellynn by saying, “Her strength is unwavering. She has faced losses that no child should have to endure, and her resilience and positivity are a great inspiration to everyone at WCA.” Bellynn is part of the ASB Leadership Academy program and has volunteered with the Ramona Pageant, as her father had done in the past. She plans to attend MSJC for their audiovisual technology courses and then intern under her father who is an independent contractor in the field to one day become a video engineer. Her parents divorced when she was young but then reconciled. When Bellynn was 11, her mother was expecting another daughter but when she was eight months pregnant, she and the unborn baby were killed by a drunk driver. This caused Bellynn to sink into a great depression, especially with the pandemic following on its heels. “One lesson that can be taken away from my mother’s passing is knowing that rock bottom isn’t the end of the world and life will keep going,” she said. “Hard things happen, but that doesn’t mean your life is over. You learn how to build up from the rock bottom again.” She wants to give back to her community by being an example of light at the end of the tunnel. “Life has a lot to offer and it’s okay to be set back but it’s important to get back up and find the good in life, all with a smile,” Bellynn said. Her father, Zach Kincaid, said, “If it wasn’t for this kid, I wouldn’t be here today. She was dealt a card no one should be given, and she played it well. She saved my life many times, she only knows how to work hard and give. She is the greatest accomplishment of my life.”
Alexis Rackley
Hemet High School Principal Jeff Franks introduced Alexis by saying, “Her grit, her determination, her perseverance is unmatched and says her focus is to just be better every day.” Alexis said she is an older sister and a teammate first with plans to attend the University of Chicago for their social work program. After earning a master’s degree she wants to continue her research on the foster care system and its effect on teens. “I was put into the foster care system at 11 and I was, and still kind of am, terrified,” she said. “I truly believed my life was over and that I had nothing going for me. The instability associated with foster scare is as apparent as ever. Being placed with a new home, having to learn the traditions and mannerisms to better fit in is really hard.” She plans to go into the field of those who have helped her throughout her life. “I want to be the person who helps a child see the full potential in themselves,” Alexis said. “I want to use the chance I’ve been given to help the next generation.”
Ravin Vandergriff
Academy of Innovation is an independent study school who chose Ravin this month. Principal John Bradshaw said Ravin embraces every aspect of the school, taking every advantage of the program by always volunteering to take part in things. Ravin said she started the school year suffering from “senioritis,” but a comment made to students from a counselor gave her a wake-up call. “She said, ‘after high school, that’s it, you’re going to be an adult in the real world’ and to be honest with you, it scared me,” Ravin said. She reflected on the struggling student she had been and the little girl who had been too shy to talk to people but did it because she wanted friends. She said, “I’m still a struggling student but the fact that I recognize that is one small step that makes me motivated to make my future successful.” Ravin aspires to attend Northern Arizona University to study music and English. Her mother said, “From that little wallflower came this beautiful rose – she has grown so much.”
San Jacinto Unified School District
Angel Iglecias
Mountain View High School’s honoree for September is Angel, who is described by Principal Ken Swanson as “polite, respectful, kind, good to others, looks out for others and is a delight to have on campus.” Angel said growing up was a little rough. “I lost my oldest brother Daniel in 2012; he was someone that I looked up to and it hurt my family a lot,” Angel said. In his junior year he knew he had to change his life around and enrolled at Mountain View with only 25 credits to his name. He said being at the school helped him work hard and he now has more than enough credits and will be finishing high school early. He plans to attend C V Beauty College in Hemet to get his barbering license with hopes of opening his own shop one day. After losing his grandmother in February, Angel said he wants to be successful for her as she was a strong influence in his life.
Jazzlyn “Jazzy” Mancinas
San Jacinto High School Principal Lloyd Sheppard read an acceptance speech from Jazzy, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to a prior commitment to attend a Middle College class at MSJC. She is working on her associate’s degree through this dual enrollment program and is currently in the top 20 of her senior class. Jazzy lost her mother when she was three years old and was raised by her father, who is her biggest fan. She believes her biggest contributions to her school, community and family are her perseverance and artistic qualities. In college, she plans to pursue a major in English with a minor in performing arts. “My dream since I was in elementary school was to be an actress, a singer and an author,” she said, adding that she has already been in many theatrical musical productions and has written her own short stories. “It has never been easy to be the student I am today. I have ADHD so I struggled on concentrating and keeping my mind clear,” she said. Years of searching for the right therapies and treatments followed her diagnosis at age 10. “A life lesson that I will take with me to college is that it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to not know where I’m going in the next few years because life is going to throw you curveballs,” Jazzy said. “It’s not okay to stay silent when you need help because in the end you are keeping yourself from being the best version of yourself.”
For more information, www.studentofthemonth.net.
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