We are pleased to report that the California Jaycee Foundation is strong, supporting the Jaycee movement now and well into the future. 

 

The California Jaycee Foundation (CAJCF) annually gives scholarships of $1,000 to graduating California high school seniors.  This year the selection was from twenty candidates whose applications were very good.  The CAJCF nominates two of the academic awardees and one vocational awardee to the USJCI Senate for consideration in the awarding its 35 scholarships of $1,500 across 50 states.

Here's a quick look at the background of the top four academic  and one vocational education candidates for California, each of whom receives a $1,000 scholarship from the CAJC Foundation. Congratulations to all five!

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Ms. Fiona Lu of San Mateo (Hillsdale High School) was recognized in the Top 5% of Math students in the American Math Competition, qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination and the M.I.T. Math Prize for Girls. She studied number theory and discrete math under guidance from college professors and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) at UC Santa Cruz.   She tutors math and physics to low-income middle school and high school seniors, ran an art show fundraiser for breast cancer awareness, and plays badminton.  Fiona is a prolific, highly talented writer of provocative poetry and mature prose, already published in several Literary magazines, and with a book of poems pending through MAP Literary and William Paterson University. She achieved at 4.50 GPA and plans to pursue a degree in Computer Science. The USJCI Senate Scholarship Committee announced that our California Scholarship winner Fiona Lu had been selected for one of the 35 scholarships of $1,500 it was dispersing.  Congratulations Fiona!

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Ms. Naomi Scott of Rolling Hills Preparatory School in San Pedro, CA Naomi participated in the Salish Sea Sciences Research Program where she hypothesized “begging” behavior in the Sunflower Sea Star may have been learned in the lab.  She is driven to find a solution to ecosystem disruptions and dedicated years to her passion of aquatic life, with off-campus leadership of 800 hours of volunteer work at the Aquarium of the Pacific where she planned the Teen Climate Fest event.  She received a gold award at the High Tide Student Film Festival for her work on Tukuaka, representing Tongan Culture and a message for ocean conservation and sustainability. A club distance swimmer and leader in various school club roles, Naomi achieved a 4.75 GPA and plans to attend Duke University and pursue studies in Marine Science and Animal Behavior.

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Mr. Charles Struhs of Poway High School in Poway, CA Recently Charles attended the American Politics Academy at Georgetown, Washington, D.C., a program with Capitol Hill staff, lobbyists, congressional representatives, and other elected officials.  Charles founded and led the German Club and Surf Club team at Poway High, and he was a 4 year Varsity swimmer and water polo goalie.  He delivered hundreds of meals for Meals on Wheels.  Achieving a 4.26 GPA, his future plans include political science, international business and a law degree to become a diplomat

 

Mr. Joseph Gentle of Kelseyville High School in Kelseyville, CA  grew up on a rural lake, worked in pear orchards and packing sheds, and bucked more hay than he would like to admit all while starting the Lake County High School Fishing Club and being its president.  He and his fishing partner travel throughout the United States competing in Bass fishing tournaments and are the highest ranked Western team in the U.S.   He is an outstanding scholar and triathlete, achieving a 4.23 grade point average while enrolled in challenging coursework at Kelseyville High School with dual enrollment in Mendocino College.  He tutored students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through Americorps and plans on studying Engineering and Economics hoping to one day specialize in freshwater environments and cutting edge technologies to help agriculture-based communities.

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Ms. Havyn Morris of Fair View High School in Chico, CA Havyn is ranked as an exceptional student at her specialized high school earning several school-wide academic awards and volunteering at nearly every school event.  She persevered and overcame many challenges including having to leave Paradise, CA after the Camp Fire devastated a community and changed her life.  She plans to attend Butte Community College, Chico State, or Loyola Marymount University, where her goal is to obtain a degree in Business Management and start her own Event Planning company with Photography on the side.

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