The Mission Viejo Activities Committee on Tuesday presented five outstanding high school seniors with its annual MVAC Scholarship award. The $1,000 scholarship is based on superior academic achievement and countless hours of volunteerism within the community. The event was held during the committee’s monthly meeting at the City’s Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. The following students received the awards:
Trevor Geller – Trabuco Hills High School
With a GPA of 4.8, Trevor’s volunteer efforts are vast and include representing 34,000 students as Student Board Member of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education and the Saddleback Valley Intercouncil of Students. Trevor is founder of the Hermanos Y Hermanas program at Trabuco Hills and volunteered in the after-school Tutoring Program and book drive collection, which collected 11,000 books for underprivileged children.
Shannon Kiang – Capistrano Valley High School
With a GPA of 4.5, Shannon wants to practice medicine and will attend a 7-year pre-med program at Boston University. She has devoted years to community service and has volunteered for the TZU Shao Buddhist Youth Group, Operation Smile and Mission Viejo Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary.
Ekta Patel – Trabuco Hills High School
Ekta possesses a 4.9 GPA and will pursue a career in medicine. She plans to attend a 7-year pre-med program at Boston University. She has received numerous honors and awards for her scholastic achievements. She has dedicated her time to the Girl Scouts and received a Gold Star Award. She has been active with the Mission Viejo Hospital Auxiliary and has tutored students in the Math and More Tutoring Program.
Hayden Stephan – Tesoro High School
Hayden has a GPA of 4.5 and plans to study environmental chemistry at the University of California, Davis. A longtime volunteer, Hayden founded “Kids Against Trash,” a program developed for cleaning up the environment. He received the 2009 Mission Viejo Character Award, has mentored in the Arroyo Vista Middle School Flute program and founded the Mistletoe Donation Collection for Saddleback Hospital.
Alexander Varasteh – Mission Viejo High School
Alexander earned a 4.5 GPA and plans to enroll in a baccalaureate program at the University of California, Irvine majoring in biology with a career in medicine as his goal. His numerous contributions to the community include volunteering in the La Paz Intermediate Summer School tutoring program; Mission Viejo High School Tutoring for incoming freshman; and the Mission Viejo Library’s summer reading program. He also devoted his time to the O’Neill Elementary Garden program.
