They acknowledged the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians and Soboba Foundation for being among the program’s strongest supporters and major contributors since day one. Zermeno said that Soboba’s generosity allowed them to award every student who submitted an application with a scholarship. Chairman Isaiah Vivanco was invited to the stage to say a few words.

“On behalf of the Tribe, I’d like to welcome you to our homeland,” he said. “We are proud to be sponsors of this program and to celebrate the accomplishments of all these great students. We can’t wait to see where their dreams take them.”

After the final breakfast in March, each Student of the Month was encouraged to complete an application to be considered as the Class of 2026 Student of the Year for their school site, resulting in eight honorees. Both districts have schools of choice that take turns attending the monthly celebrations throughout the school year and one student from each district’s rotating schools is chosen to be Student of the Year.

“Tonight we come together to recognize an incredible group of students whose resilience, character, and determination continue to inspire all of us,” Zermeno said. “Each student being honored this evening has faced challenges with courage, shown strength in their difficult moments, and continues to move forward with purpose and heart. Their stories remind us that true success is not only measured by achievements, but by perseverance, kindness, and the ability to rise above adversity.”

Guests were treated to a gourmet buffet before awards were given. The evening mirrored well-known awards ceremonies such as the Oscars and the Grammys since the results were not revealed in advance. A short video clip of each student’s speech from when they were honored during their month was played before announcing the winner for each school, after an anticipatory drum roll.

Students of the Year

Hemet Unified School District’s Student of the Year honorees are Aidan DeSanto, Nevaeh Gray, Celeste Lopez, Samantha Calvillo Navarro, and Eddie Villa. Those honored from San Jacinto Unified School District are Karen Alvarenga Quiroz, Elizabeth Schmitz, and Christian “CJ” Viramontes. Each accepted their award with gratitude to the sponsors, school personnel, friends, and family members who supported them throughout their high school journey.
As Student of the Month in February for Tahquitz High School, Aidan DeSanto will be attending Cal State, San Marcos on his path to becoming a history teacher. Nevaeh Gray was September’s Student of the Month from Hamilton High School. She is going to be studying nursing at Cal State, San Marcos in the fall. The Western Center Academy honored Celeste Lopez as Student of the Month in February. She will be studying nursing at California Baptist University. Samantha Calvillo Navarro was West Valley High School’s choice in March. She will be completing her core classes at Mt. San Jacinto College before transferring to Loma Linda on her way to becoming a sonographer. Eddie Villa was singled out in March by Hemet High School. He will attend MIT to major in nuclear science and engineering.

November’s Student of the Month for Mountain Heights Academy was Karen Alvarenga Quiroz. She will attend Cal State, San Marcos and plans to be a lawyer, medical assistant, and an actor “because I can do everything” she said. San Jacinto High School chose Elizabeth Schmitz in January. She will study business and business analytics at UC, Davis. Christian “CJ” Viramontes was honored as Student of the Month in October for San Jacinto Leadership Academy. He will begin his college education at Mt. San Jacinto College where he will major in journalism, hoping to become a sportswriter.

Additional scholarships

Individual scholarships were presented to students who were chosen for their ability to meet the criteria set by the community members or businesses who sponsored the awards.

The Adanesne Carrasco Soto Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Justin Valladares, San Jacinto Leadership Academy’s March SOM. He will attend MSJC to study to become an EMT before joining the fire department “to help this community.” Adanesne had been honored as SOM for San Jacinto High School in December of 2021. She passed away from cancer the following June, shortly after graduation.

Terry Cobb presented the Mike Christie Memorial Scholarship to Lola Elzy, Hemet High School’s SOM for December. Lola will attend San Diego State University as a biology major on a pre-med track. Terry said she and her late husband, Mike, met at Hemet High School. Zermeno said Mike Christie created the Student of the Month website in 2012 at the beginning of the program and that losing him was a great loss to the community.

The $2,000 Hemet Teachers’ Association Scholarship went to Jaysen Arreola, who earned Hemet High School’s SOM recognition in September. He will be studying geology at UC, Berkeley with the intention of becoming a paleontologist. The award was presented by Hemet High School teacher James Walsh.

The Dr. Koka & Family Medical Scholarship was awarded to Erendira Soria, Hemet High School’s January SOM. She plans to attend Mt. San Jacinto College as she pursues her goal to become a nurse. Dr. Vidhya Koka said her family has had the privilege of being in this community for 22 years and this award is to congratulate and encourage people going into the healthcare field so they can come back and serve this community.

Jackie Sanchez Ibarra, Mountain Heights Academy’s SOM in March, was presented with the Daniel Lopez Jr. Memorial Scholarship. She wants to take EMT courses to become a paramedic. Daniel was named SOM in the 2015-2016 school year and died in a tragic traffic accident a few days before graduation. His parents set up the scholarship to honor students that best represent their son who always gave back to his family and community.

The Dr. Kari McGowan Memorial Scholarship was presented to Savannah Garcia, Tahquitz High School’s December SOM. Savannah is headed to Riverside Community College in the fall to study performing arts and pursue a career in the music industry. Current principal Andrew Holmes said the scholarship is designed to support a student who embodies the same qualities former principal McGowan held dear—a heart for service, a resilient work ethic, and a fierce belief in the power that education has to change lives.

Katelyn Cerpas Fuentes, January SOM for Tahquitz High School, received the Marie Quandt Memorial Scholarship. She will be attending Grossmont College in San Diego to prepare for a career as a laboratory scientist. John Norman presented the scholarship after explaining that Quandt had been a very active woman in the community who showed up for kids. He said, “The support that she provided is like the support that I see a lot of the teachers and administrators giving.”

Shannon Murdaugh presented the Sizzler/BMW Management Inc. Scholarship to Diego Gomez, Western Center Academy’s SOM for November on behalf of Sally Myers. Diego will be studying engineering at California Baptist University before pursuing his career as a civil engineer in the water industry. The local SOM program is based on the one started by Myers of Sizzler/BMW Management Inc. more than 30 years ago. Her programs have since spawned more than 20 variations in San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties, including several in the Inland Empire overseen by Zermeno.

The Cassi Tichy Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Lily Snow, who was SOM in September from the Academy of Innovation. Lily has not yet decided on her future plans. Cassi was Hemet High School’s Student of the Year for 2016-2017. She had been chosen as SOM while battling a rare form of cancer. The award was presented by Hemet Unified School District Superintendent Christi Barrett.

Closing Remarks

“Students, this is not just an award; this is a testament to all of the challenges that you have overcome and are currently overcoming,” Zermeno said. “But you are ready to face the world because you have shown that you can overcome anything. You have shown that you have built your character and your strength and you use those

strengths to help others. Your kindness has carried you through and we hear the stories of your perseverance and helping others. Congratulations again to our students of 2025-26.”

To learn more about the program and to view monthly videos, please visit www.studentofthemonth.net.

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Local program founder and Student of the Month Committee member Karena Zermeno-Leon emceed the event. She also represents program sponsors Karena Zermeno Realtor and Cave Restaurant at Oak Mountain Winery. 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.

March’s students of the month from Hemet Unified School District are Benjamin Barbee, Janeya Gulley, Samantha Calvillo Navarro, Jamyr Pech, and Eddie Villa. San Jacinto Unified honorees for March are Jackie Sanchez Ibarra, Jeremy Morales, and Justin Valladares.

Hemet Unified School District

Benjamin Barbee

Alessandro High School Principal Matthew Centofranchi said Benjamin is no stranger to adversity both in his personal life and his academic career. He said the young man left a deep impression on everyone in his time at Alessandro High School. Welding instructor Joshua O’Neal spoke on behalf of many of Benjamin’s teachers who described him as a student with grit and resilience, someone who asks for help, works through challenges, and continues trying different strategies until he finds success. Benjamin said when his mother passed away during seventh grade, he began to give up on things. “When my junior year came around, my cousin and my papa both also passed away and I felt like I was in the gutters,” he said. He transferred to Alessandro even though he still wanted to drop out of school but found teachers who kept pushing him to do his best. At the start of his senior year, he suffered a head injury in a minibike accident and although this set him back in his schoolwork, he got the support he needed to get back on track. “I went through bad outcomes and I’m getting to the good outcomes,” Benjamin said. He plans to attend trade school and become a diesel technician.

Janeya Gulley

Tahquitz High School Principal Andrew Holmes introduced Janeya as a model scholar and athlete. “We’re very proud that she was the captain of our basketball team and she was one of the all-stars of our inaugural girls flag football team and a big part of the success that team had.” Janeya said when she thinks about her greatest contribution to her family and community, it is being someone others can rely on, encouraging others, and helping create a positive environment. “One of the challenges that I’ve overcome is learning to manage stress, overcome self-doubt, and understand that it is okay to ask for help sometimes,” Janeya said. “One of the most important lessons I will take with me to college is that growth comes from challenges. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn, improve, and become stronger over time. I’ve learned that being determined and open-minded can help you overcome more than you think. In the future, I hope to give back to my community by using my education and career to help others, such as supporting people through mental health challenges, working in health care, or simply being someone who helps others feel heard.” Janeya plans to study psychology and pursue a career in the medical field.

Samantha Calvillo Navarro

West Valley High School Counselor Shannon Vargas said Samantha is the definition of resilience and ambition. She isn’t just finishing high school, she’s launching into her future after successfully completing the rigorous certified nursing assistant program that is newly offered through Hemet Unified School District. “Samantha is an amazing example of why it is a great day to be a Mustang,” Vargas said. A major obstacle Samantha overcame and faced was thinking she was never going to make it through high school. At the start of freshman year, she found it very difficult to adjust to new teachers, their teaching methods, new faces, students, and the environment overall. But after viewing a social media post about sonography, she knew that was the career path she wanted to pursue and began to research what she needed to do to achieve that goal. “A significant life lesson I learned was to accept the value of dedication and failure. In order for good things to happen, you need to be dedicated to putting in the time and effort.” Samantha hopes to become a musculoskeletal sonographer after completing studies at MSJC and Loma Linda University.

Jamyr Pech

Academy of Innovation CTE digital media teacher Keely Bunn described Jamyr as a great example of kindness, perseverance, and integrity. “He’s always willing to help and lend a hand when needed and is so polite,” she said.

Bunn said Jamyr is very passionate about video games and art, which has been wonderful to see especially in the CTE classes. “In CTE we go on many field trips to get the kids out of the classroom and into the real world and Jamyr is always the first to sign up. He loves to go out and experience the world by going to new places and learning new things,” she said. “He has great communication skills, and I have no doubt that it will help him to become a compassionate leader once he graduates.” Jamyr plans to start his next education chapter at Mt. San Jacinto College as a way to explore career options that he would find interesting.

Eddie Villa

Hemet High School Principal Jeff Franks introduced Eddie as a four-year varsity golfer, a four-year mock trial member, and a key member of the math team that competed in the Riverside County math competition and took first place. He is also Hemet High’s valedictorian. Eddie shared that he was born with a small fluid sack in place of where his kidney should have been. “As a result, I ended up as the strange kid who would just sit out from every sport or physical activity with contact because if it were to rupture or leak my death would be very probable; surgery wasn’t really an option either,” Eddie said. Joining Mock Trial made a huge difference and gave him a place where he finally felt seen. “I’ve worked hard as Mock Trial captain to make sure that my teammates feel a part of the community, and I carry that outside of Mock Trial as the golf captain now,” Eddie said. He is also an officer is several clubs on campus including the student run D and D Club where he serves as president. Eddie hopes to attend MIT and then pursue a career in nuclear engineering in order to produce cleaner energy sources.

San Jacinto Unified School District

Jackie Sanchez Ibarra

Mountain View High School’s Independent Study program is Mountain Heights Academy which Jackie enrolled in this past October. “One important lesson I always remind myself is that no matter how hard something may seem or is, if you truly want it and put your mind to it, you can accomplish it,” Jackie said. “Before attending Mountain Heights Academy, I didn’t think I would be able to graduate. School was very difficult for me, and I was always too shy or too embarrassed to ask for help.” Receiving support and encouragement at the school made a huge difference in her academics. “Growing up wasn’t always easy, but I was raised by my hardworking mother and my grandmother who sadly passed away in 2018. My father was in and out of prison until he eventually got deported to Mexico.” She said attending the independent study program allows her flexibility to be there for her family during the rough times. She plans to attend MSJC to take an EMT course and pursue a career as a paramedic. “By becoming a paramedic, I hope to give back to my community by supporting families and individuals during times of crisis,” Jackie said.

Jeremy Morales

San Jacinto High School Principal Lloyd Sheppard said his very first memory of Jeremy was seeing him perform as one of the members of the school’s Ballet Folklorico club as well as with the Mariachi Ensemble. “He is a phenomenal dancer and represents and performs with his group with a lot of pride and precision,” Sheppard said. Jeremy said that for most of his high school years, he worked hard to foster a community in which he was able to lead. “It was a process that was not only strenuous and time consuming but very much worth it,” he said. “I always like to provide guidance and skill to those who want to learn.” Jeremy leads many clubs and serves as president of the Ballet Folklorico, which he has been part of all four years. “The way I see it is the future is clouded in endless amounts of mystery,” he said. “It has taken me years of experience and delegation to finally be able to create an environment where I’m able to really look past today with hints of hope and not just as something to deal with after this day ends.”

Justin Valladares

San Jacinto Leadership Academy custodian David Zamudio said that although he doesn’t interact with Justin in the classroom on an academic level, he does interact with him daily out on the campus. Justin has attended the school since sixth grade. The outstanding senior said Zamudio was an inspiration to him, teaching him how to treat others with respect and kindness. “I would help Mr. David clean up the trash during lunchtime and during SLA Harvest Festival, changing the trash bags and whatever else I could do,” Justin said. “Mr. David always did this work with a smile on his face and creating a sense of community throughout the school. Through this work alongside Mr. David, I grew to learn the importance of creating a sense of community, especially for the students who didn’t feel like they fit in.” He said a difficult life experience was working through his dyslexia and ADHD. “I had a lot of trouble focusing in class, especially with my dyslexia causing me to have trouble in reading and writing,” he said. Receiving assistance from the services available from SLA staff allowed him to boost his academic growth. Justin plans to attend MSJC, followed by firefighter academy.

For more information, www.studentofthemonth.net.

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That time of year is approaching and Community Builders of San Jacinto (CBSJ) are getting ready to kick off their annual Hamburger Bash. This year it will be held Saturday, March 7th from 11 to 2pm at North Mountain Middle School: 1202 E Seventh St. San Jacinto, CA. All proceeds will benefit San Jacinto Unified School District (SJUSD)

“This is our big event of the year,” says Lynn Peterson, President of CBSJ, who proclaims the importance of the annual event in raising funds for San Jacinto Unified School District. The money raised will be invested into the school system via scholarships, where funds are needed the most.

Putting on the event continues to be a community effort. The non-profit CBSJ, receives donations from generous businesses in which a “pay-it-forward” consciousness is cultivated and built.

Over recent years, San Jacinto High School’s ROTC members have lent a helping hand in assembling the event, serving the food, and pitching in to clean up after the event. In addition, the generosity of local business owners, such as Darrell and Barbara Salkeld of Grocery Outlet, have donated gift cards, burgers, buns, and trimmings that will be served. Many other local businesses and community members are donating their time, products and services to make the event possible.

CBSJ will be serving up the community and putting the “fun” in fundraiser. $7.00 will get you admission to the event and includes a hamburger with the works, a drink, and dessert. There will be door prizes and upwards of a hundred items raffled off, including toys for kids, gift baskets, and money trees.

Peterson says she is hoping for a turn out of about 400 people this year.

The goal of Community Builders reads as follows, “Ideal community filled with fellowship, enthusiasm, service and the desire to meet our neighbor’s needs; planning and working together will keep our assigned homes in sight of our master builder.”

The non-profit organization has been around for 70 years, and Peterson says her favorite part of being involved with the organization is being able to give back to the community, saying, “I’m a big proponent of the community, it gives me such great pleasure.”

Burger Bash tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling Lynn Peterson at 951-255-5598.

Raffle tickets will be sold at the event: 1 for $1.00, 6 for $5.00, or 12 for 10.00.

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