June 1, 2005

Presentation High School students collect awards

Presentation High School honored several students, not just for academics, but for the individuals they are, the hardships they have gone through and the giant strides they have made the past four years, at its annual awards ceremony May 20.

Although these awards are given mostly for academics, the last five awards of the day are named after people who have left a special mark on the school. The five scholarships are named for people young and old whose presence made a difference at the school and whose legacy will carry on in another student’s future. These scholarships are now a part of a young student’s future, enabling them to go a make a difference in today’s world.  

The Nano Nagle award, named for the founder of the Sisters of the Presentation, is the highest honor given to the senior who exemplifies the very best of a Presentation graduate. This year’s recipients, Monica Alba of Willow Glen and Victoria Ruiz, are both so involved in just about everything that goes on at the school that the only option was to give the honor to both of them.

The girls combined activities include student government, speech, peer ministry, community involvement, 10 clubs, performing arts, athletics and the honor societies. They are recognized leaders who care about and listen to the students they serve. Academic achievers, they are also motivated by a sense of service.

With all they have going for them, each is amazingly humble and gracious. They both possess a sense of wonder and gratitude when they look at the world. Both have pride in the strong traditions and culture of their Hispanic backgrounds and the love of their family has given them both roots and wings.

The Alison E. Smith Memorial Scholarship Award was given to Ellen Bailey. Alison was a Presentation student who faced personal challenges in her life and met them with dignity and grace and gave 100 percent of herself in everything she did. The Presentation High School community suffered a great loss through her death. Senior Ellen Bailey has many of the same qualities Alison possessed: determination, courage and a positive attitude. She was faced with personal challenges throughout high school. Despite those difficulties, she rose to the challenge, completed all her work and persevered. She never once complained about the workload or even doubted that she could do it. Bailey will attend U.C. San Diego in the fall. 

Willow Glen Times readers first met Fremont resident and Presentation student Christina Asbury at Relay For Life in June 2003. A sophomore at that time, she was recovering from cancer and discussed where she wanted her life to go.
She graduated May 28, but before graduation, won the Alyssa Messier scholarship. Alyssa was a powerful, dynamic presence on the campus and never let the physical challenges that confronted her hold her back from any achievement.

The scholarship embodies Alyssa’s attitude. Even when she was not feeling well, she never let it show on the outside. She was determined in the classroom and awesome on the softball field. Presentation lost her in 2000 to complications of her disease, but the students, past and present, have never lost her spirit. Her family established the scholarship in her memory and honor and it is awarded each year to a graduating senior who, like Alyssa, has persevered through the personal and physical challenges of serious illness.

Most students have a hard time balancing academics with roles in every play, show and musical production, as well as singing in the jazz choir and leading student government. Christina Asbury does all that between rounds of radiation, chemotherapy, major surgery and hospitalization. But she doesn’t just get by—she astounds her fellow students, teachers and staff with her accomplishments and positive attitude.

Like Alyssa, she followed through with her commitments even when she was not feeling well. With wisdom and perspective far beyond her years she taught everyone at Presentation the value of a fighting spirit, of never giving up, of maintaining a positive outlook and of recognizing of what is truly important in life.

Several other students from Willow Glen also received awards. Lauren Albin received the National Merit Scholarship and the Bank of America Plaque in the liberal arts category as well as the CCS Scholastic Achievement Award, the CSF Life Member Seal, the CSF Seymour Memorial, Mu Alpha Theta Honors and many other academic awards.  

The Bausch and Lomb Award, presented to an outstanding junior science student every year, was awarded to Kate Brown. She currently holds a 5.0 in science and last year earned a 5 on the AP biology exam. She also has won more than a dozen awards in her three years participation in the Synopsis Santa Clara Valley Science Fair. Those include a first place for this year’s project and numerous honors from such groups as the Society of Women Engineers, the U.S. Army, NASA and the American Society of Civil Engineers.  

Jackie Cimino was awarded the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Scholarship, founded by Charlie, so that he could send all students facing hardship a message of hope and possibility. For the past seven years, the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach has recognized outstanding student-athletes who have tackled adversity head on and achieved great success through their “Celebration of Hope” scholarship program. Jackie also won the REACH Youth Scholarship, chaired by Ronnie Lott. Its mission is to recognize excellence, adversity, courage and hard work among high school athletes in the Santa Clara County with fellow senior Mikaela Gillette. 

Laura Aguirre won the National Hispanic Scholarship.