24 Students to Receive Cash Awards

The UCLA Alumni Assn.’s Advisory and Scholarship Program has named 24 Orange County high school graduates as winners of its statewide freshmen scholarship competition, which offers $210,000 in merit grants.

“This program recognizes the accomplishments of well-rounded students who, in addition to being academically gifted, have demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities and show exceptional promise,” said Ken Mayer, program director.

Winners are Brian Toy, Huntington Beach High, $7,500; Sonja Nazareth, El Modena High, Orange, $4,000; Thomas Miley, Servite High, Anaheim, $1,000; Darren Lish, Canyon High, Anaheim, $1.000; Matthew Thimgan, Esperanza High, Anaheim, $1,000; Darren Futa, Dana Hills High, Dana Point, $1,000; Kristin Lueck, Ocean View High, Huntington Beach, $1,000; and Jennifer Brandon and Richard Buschkoetter, both of El Dorado High, Placentia, $1,000 each.

Winning $500 grants were Cherry Park, Canyon High, Anaheim; Colby Maher, El Toro High, Lake Forest; Jennifer Barendrecht, Fullerton Union High, Fullerton; Katherine Pham, Garden Grove High, Garden Grove; Brent Nichols, Edison High, Huntington Beach; Mathew Kovach, Huntington Beach High; Marcie Hersch, Marina High, Huntington Beach; Deron McCoy, Irvine High, Irvine; Joan-Ruth Miran and Monisha Motwani, both of Woodbridge High, Irvine; Karin Kullman, Laguna High, Laguna Hills; Ryan Bise, Del Mar High, Newport Beach; Jeffrey Petrilla, El Dorado High, Placentia; Michael Chen, Valencia High, Placentia; and Scot Mollot, Foothill High, Santa Ana. Placentia resident Gary Dominguez, an engineer and paramedic with the Fullerton Fire Department, has been promoted to captain. Dominguez, who will continue to work as a paramedic in addition to his duties as a captain, teaches emergency medical-technician classes at the Rancho Santiago College fire academy.

With 60 of her friends and relatives present, Sarah Wener Finegold celebrated her 100th birthday at a party presented by the Santa Ana-Tustin Chapter of Hadassah, a Jewish women’s group.

Finegold is a charter member of the group which presented her with an album of individually handwritten greetings from more than 100 members of the chapter.

The Tustin woman has five children, 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Rancho Santa Margarita resident Michael D. Kelner, 38, executive director of Heritage Pointe, has been presented the Dr. Herbert Shore Young Executive Award by the North American Assn. of Jewish Homes and Housing for the Aged. Heritage Point is a retirement community in South Orange County.

Five Huntington Beach students were presented Good Citizen Awards by the Huntington Beach Clara Barton Chapter of the National Society of the American Revolution. They include Nhon Hguyen, of Ocean View High; Mahla Farghallis, of Edison High; Suzanne Pickens, of Liberty Christian High; Mary Breen, Huntington Beach High, and Michelle Gholdoian, of Marina High.

Seal Beach resident Susan Nagasawa, owner of Busy Bee Florist in Seal Beach, has been named Business Person of the Month by the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Melissa Connolly, 17, a senior at Santiago High School in Garden Grove, has been selected to attend the Seventh Annual Washington Journalism Conference, March 25-29.

She will join 250 other high school journalists from throughout the country to learn firsthand about news coverage in the nation’s capital from veteran correspondents and editors.

Melissa, an award-winning writer, serves as opinion editor on the staff of her school newspaper, the New Cavalier.

Mission Viejo High School junior Amanda McLaughlin, 16, has been selected by Saddleback American Legion Post to represent her school in June at Girl’s State in Sacramento.

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