CTE/ROP Students of Excellence Celebration

May 11, 2017 Contra Costa County Office of Education

Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata

Deputy Superintendent of Schools Pamela Comfort, Ed.D.

Director, Student Programs Janet Haun

Contra Costa County Board of Education

Mike Maxwell Jeff Belle Fatima S. Alleyne, Ph.D Christine W. Deane Vikki J. Chavez

2 Program

Refreshments

Welcome and Introductions Janet Haun Director, Student Programs

Welcome from Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata

Welcome from Contra Costa County Board of Education Christine Deane, Board Member

Welcome from State Assembly Tony Thurmond, Assemblymember District 15

Student Awards Presented By: Karen Sakata, County Superintendent of Schools

Adjourn*

3 Hannah Chylinski, Play Production California High School, Laura Woods, Instructor Hannah is every teacher’s dream student – respectful, polite, articulate . . . and driven. She has acted in numerous performances, and was awarded both gold and bronze at the Lenaea statewide theater competition. In addition, she gained a passion for the technical side of theater. She will be attending St. Mary’s College to study theater and will train with the Young REP program at Lesher Center for the Arts.

Jocelyn Villalobos, Advanced Sports Medicine Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, Kim O’Leary, Instructor Jocelyn’s passion for Sports Medicine comes from being one who wants to help others. Through her experience as a student trainer for the school wrestling team, as an intern with Kaiser’s orthopedics department, as a park ranger assistant, and a myriad of other community activities, she was named Youth of the Year by the Antioch Chamber of Commerce. She will continue her education in college, majoring in Kinesiology.

Kelly Seto, Advanced Sports Medicine College Park High School Al Douex, Instructor

Kelly is a multi-sport athlete who participates in school orchestra, community service organizations, and youth ministry, while also maintaining a rank of third in her class of 510. The heavy emphasis on teamwork, problem-solving, and patient interaction is why she wants to pursue medicine, focusing perhaps on emergency medicine or surgery due to her enjoyment of working with a team where quick thinking and finding order amidst chaos are necessary.

4 Tallulah Pellissier Lloyd, AP Environmental Science Piedmont High School, Andrew Willats, Instructor Tallulah brings a concern for the underprivileged and underrepresented to her studies about population growth and resource use. Her passion to help communities in developing countries grew out of an early experience living in Costa Rica. Environmental Science was the perfect course of study to address the problems she has been committed to solving for years. Her academic achievement is outstanding, as she is never satisfied with easy answers. Instead she strives for qualified, more nuanced responses in discussions, on her tests, and in her lab work.

Aesha Parekh, AP Computer Science California High School Anh Nguyen, Instructor Aesha is a junior who intends to major in computer science. Her ROP course promoted her growth as a problem-solver and team-worker while encouraging life-long habits, such as time management. In addition, Aesha provides tutoring through the National Honor Society and AVID programs and regularly travels to San Jose to volunteer at the Tech Museum.

Aimee Cortez, Play Production Richmond High School Asedo Wilson, Instructor Aimee is a true artist: painter, musician, actor. With four Advanced Placement classes and demanding band and Play Production schedules, she still manages a 4.0 GPA. During class, she learned the value of teamwork and time management, and gained confidence performing in front of crowds. The class unit on publicity ignited an interest in studying marketing in the future.

5 Hannah Nesta, Computer Aided Design and Drafting Heritage High School Barbara Worden, Instructor As a highly motivated and focused individual, Hannah is an asset and positive influence to those around her. She plans to attend San Luis Obispo’s civil engineering program following her senior year. As a Latina woman, she was a little intimidated to venture into this untraditional field. After coursework, mentor connections, and summer experiences at DVC and U.C. Berkeley, she gained confidence and strives to be a role model for other Latina women through excellence and community giving.

Daniel Kouchekinia, AP Computer Science Monte Vista High School, Bhupinder Anwar, Instructor Daniel is a natural programmer – meaning he has the skill set needed to pursue a degree in computer science. He thanks the ROP program for offering him the chance to understand how programming language works behind the scenes. By fully understanding the basics of programming, he is building up a base which will enable him to write programs with confidence and competence. His determination to work on building his soft skills, particularly his confidence, will serve him well in his career.

Saman Wadpey, Advanced Sports Medicine San Ramon Valley High Bonnie Schar, Instructor Saman discovered her passion for sports medicine during a lecture about ankles. And that passion only grew stronger as she took classes and joined the school’s field athletic trainer for hands-on experience. The internship led to Saman’s appointment as the head student athletic trainer. In addition, she interned with an orthopedic surgeon and was introduced to patients. Here she demonstrated exceptional bedside manner. She is unstoppable and her drive will serve her well. 6 Pranav Peddinti Principles of Engineering Dougherty Valley High School Craig Stewart, Instructor Pranav credits his ROP course with helping move toward his goal of becoming a mechanical engineer and designing the world’s most efficient production car. His enthusiasm about course material is contagious. In addition, he is friendly, respectful, and spends time tutoring 2nd and 8th grade students.

Jessica Nhan, Human Body Systems (PLTW) Pinole Valley High School Dan O’Shea, Instructor A visit to the doctor as a child left Jessica in awe as to how the doctor and nurse had such incredible power to cure and treat people. This has led to pursuing a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner or ophthalmology surgeon. She credits her ROP class with helping push her to collaborate, manage time, and think outside of the box.

Christopher Tan, AP Computer Science Pinole Valley High School Douglas Frew, Instructor Chirstopher has always been fascinated by the limitless possibilities of technology. He says that the algorithms mirror his logical style of thinking, the technicalities suit his preference for less ambiguity and greater precision, and he enjoys the challenges of problem solving. Chris not only does excellent work, but he helps other students when they need it. He started an after school club, where he teaches students how to code and program. He sees technology not as an end, but rather as a mean to make a positive impact on society.

7

Gabrielle Solis, Creative Writing Alhambra High School Eliot Schain, Instructor Gabrielle raises the discussions in class to a level uncommonly sophisticated for high school. She regularly shares her excellent poetry in front of the class, and her insights about others not only reflect her compassion, but also her training as a smart, well-educated student of literature. Her ROP class experience will give her a strong foundation as she aspires to become an English and drama teacher.

Lexi McCoy, Careers with Children Freedom High School Elizabeth Rodriguez, Instructor Lexi has known since her 7th grade experience helping out in a Special Ed classroom that she wanted to become a Special Education teacher. Through the ROP program, she has exhibited the skills needed to be successful with children who have auditory disabilities. She has taken American Sign Language courses and works cooperatively with peers, establishing herself as a positive role model through her hard work ethic. No doubt, she will be a wonderful teacher.

Jacob Sarasohn, Advanced Digital Photography Berkeley High School Gabriel Berent, Instructor Whenever anyone asks Jacob, “What’s your dream job?”, his go-to answer is photojournalism. He has already been hired to assist local magazine photographers and as Director of Photography for a U.C. Berkeley professor’s documentary. He has received a merit scholarship to both The Art Institute of Chicago and Rochester Institute of Technology.

8 Erick Garcia Digital Recording Studio Pittsburg High School Gina Hansen, Instructor Erick has an inexhaustible thirst for digital recording hardware and software knowledge. He appreciates the professional level programs and equipment which the ROP class provides. Erick’s positive attitude helps him turn setbacks into lessons learned. He plans to continue pursuing digital music courses in college and expand his DJ career.

Danté Maurino, Advanced Sports Medicine Northgate High School Glen Barker, Instructor Danté is a quiet, well mannered, conscientious, knowledgeable, independent thinker who is constantly striving to improve. At Northgate High, he emerged as a leader and model among his peers. For the last two years, he has been one of the head student trainers for football and was responsible for coverage of all practices and games, in addition to supervising the rehabilitation programs for all athletes at Northgate. Dante’s energy and commitment to the sports medicine program has been outstanding.

Alizé Roanhorse-Taylor, Sports Medicine Freedom High School Glenn Briggs, Instructor Alizé demonstrates a caring personality and desire to help others in time of need. She is the lead student trainer for varsity football, works in the school training room, and interns at Children’s Hospital Physical Therapy department. She is dedicated to attending college to pursue work as a professional athletic trainer.

9 Jenna Morford, Art of Video Production Heritage High School Gus Guardado, Instructor Jenna Morford is a busy student. As Senior Class President, Video Production Vice President, an active member of the Rising Stars school theater troop, and working a part time job, she still has time to excel in her video classes. Over two years, Jenna has become fully immersed in film production, including creating, directing, acting, and editing. She values the effort it takes to tell a good story. Next year Jenna will be entering Azusa Pacific University’s Fine Arts program for Film Production/ Cinematography.

Selina Corralejo, Construction Technology Alhambra High Jay Heeb, Instructor Selina has been a student in the Alhambra Woodworking Program for 4 years. During this time, she has built high quality furniture, cabinetry, and construction pieces. This year she became the foreman of her shed building team, which entailed learning about safety in the workplace, implementing quality control and building team effectiveness. Selina plans to become a Medical Assistant and ultimately a registered nurse.

Celia Bateman, Advanced Photography College Park High School Jennifer Kennedy, Instructor Photography has taught Celia to slow down and appreciate life for what it is: a masterpiece. She has demonstrated skill in everything from street photography, to fine art portfolio development to studio work to sports photography to using traditional black and white film. This year Celia took leadership of the entire Winter Showcase event, creating a model for how students can manage events. Building on her ROP foundation, she plans to attend FIDM in Los Angeles to pursue a career in graphic design.

10 Phillip Latiolais, Computer Integrated Manufacturing California High School John Reed, Instructor These phrases describe Philip’s approach to initiating a unique classroom project to build a robot: persistent, unruffled when things go wrong, resolute, steadfast, composed in the face of adversity. Phillip’s love for software and hardware robotic development along with his self-initiated approach, has enabled him to experience a unique type of success. He is on his way to becoming a computer engineer.

Matthew Weisenberg, AP Environmental Science Freedom High School John Sierra, Instructor Matthew is a mature, respected, determined student who goes the extra mile to research issues before forming logical and analytical conclusions. This year Matthew shifted his focus from Biology in order to explore Ecology as he gained experience working in community parks and learning about issues related to pollution and water. He is motivated to pursue a career that will address collectively these global issues that the planet faces.

Jaigosh Thind, Digital Arts/Designs for the Web Freedom High School John Sierra, Instructor Jaigosh demonstrates a professional level of creativity in his work. He uses free time to explore greater challenges that further his computer proficiency. The ROP class has expanded his technical skills and knowledge about a career in web and graphic design. After high school, he would like to attend the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

11 Michael Smith, Automotive Technology Liberty High School Jon Dorr, Instructor Michael is described as one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He regularly helps other students learn necessary skills because they trust him. He is president of the school’s Auto Shop Club where he assists with classic car restoration and car show marketing. After high school, he will join the U.S. Air Force to serve his country in a mechanical or construction-related field.

Aiden Arreola Reyes, Play Production Deer Valley High School Joyce Thrift, Instructor Aiden credits his ROP Play Production class with his development not only as a technician, but as a leader. He manages all technical aspects of the school theater for over 50 events each year, helping coordinate sets, lighting, and sound, always in a professional manner. He plans to study technical theater in college when he graduates.

Jared Aquino, Business Economics Liberty High School Karen Ghannadan, Instructor Jared is a model, both in his personal and professional development. He has transformed his hearing loss from weakness into strength, through working harder and smarter than his peers in order to show others the future is still bright even with hindrances. As an A+ student, Jared grasps new concepts quickly and accepts constructive criticism and instructional guidance for his projects with a smile. He plans to become a Computer Engineer with a minor in Business.

12 Yolanda Shen, Biotechnology Dougherty Valley High School Katherine Huang, Instructor Biotechnology is “the centromere of Yolanda’s two chromatids of passion: genetics and engineering”. She learned to grow cultures, run PCR reactions, make electrophoresis gels, run restriction digests, and do bioinformatics, which led to publishing two novel duckweed proteins into the national database. The experience developed her lab skills and confidence, cementing her intention to major in the biotechnology field.

Gloria Kowall, Medical Technologies Kathleen Mooney, Instructor Holding an A+ in Medical Technologies, Gloria’s thirst for knowledge takes many forms. She is an active member of the Las Lomas HOSA club and will be participating in the State Leadership Conference within the Medical Extemporaneous Writing and Medical Math competitions. This year she participated in the school’s Vital Signs Clinic by taking patients’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respirations, as well as charting the information. The qualities that best describe her are: Positive, Innovative, Respectful, Hard-working, and Responsible.

Edgar Sanchez, Digital Arts/Designs for the Web Kennedy High School Krys Simon, Instructor Edgar found the career path he was looking for after enrolling in the IT Academy. He was introduced to Digital Arts, Web Design and Programming. His web design skills and overall professionalism earned him a nomination for a Client Services Manager internship position at TechFutures. Edgar has also demonstrated initiative by enrolling in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship program (NFTE). Through this experience, he became highly motivated to learn and achieve excellent grades in his studies. 13 Valeria Martinez, Computerized Accounting Concord High School, Laurie Harris, Instructor As a first generation high school graduate, Valeria’s mastery in accounting class has set her on the road to a successful and fulfilling career. She plans to attend St. Mary’s College next year where she will major in accounting. Her teacher writes that she “has what it takes to excel as an accounting professional”, and her values demonstrate her commitment to give back to her community.

Miranda Murphree, Computer Applications Concord High School Laurie Harris, Instructor Miranda is looking to pursue a career in which she can help others and her community. Her mastery of the content in Computer Applications will undoubtedly aid her in this pursuit. She has made complex PowerPoint games with action buttons, used Excel for the school WASC report for her Statistics class, and developed a LGBTQ+ trivia game for one of her club meetings, among other applications. Miranda is selfless and has spent hours helping struggling students in her class. She is not only an excellent student, but also an exceptional person.

Kelsi Holt, Law Enforcement Careers Heritage High School Matt Carr, Instructor Kelsi’s unselfish teamwork, leadership, communication, and smile, strengthen and motivate others to succeed. In addition to being a top student, she is Sergeant in the Brentwood Police Department Explorer Post and participates in Air Force JROTC. She has learned to analyze a problem from various perspectives and has gained a deeper passion for pursuing a career as a police officer.

14 Danielle Velasquez, Administrative Medical Assistant ROP Adult Program Norma Phillips, Instructor After getting a BA in Psychology, Danielle searched for work. Fortunately, she found the ROP Medical Assisting program would provide a practical and inspiring career path. It offered her a way to attain strong, technical skills and at the same time, give back to the community. Danielle’s determination has served her well, as she is described as an outstanding student, finishing her class with over 99% of the 4500 test points. She is now earning Academic Honors in the clinical portion of the Program.

Yuriy Manuylov, Advanced Automotive Technology Deer Valley High School Phillip Torres, Instructor As a child, Yuriy immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan. He demonstrates a desire to learn far and above the required course material. For example, he decided on his own to participate in the Contra Costa County Science Fair, where his Ignition Timing Effect on Emissions Gasses project took first place in 12th grade Engineering. He plans to go to college and hopes to design a gas-powered zero-emission motor.

Summer Vodnoy, Advanced Digital Photography Albany High School Rachel Hubbard, Instructor Summer uses her camera as a tool of exploration and a means to understanding the world around her and within her. She participates in a Bay Area Youth Photographers group and was recently hired by a client who found her work online. She will attend Berkeley City College to pursue a career in photography and photojournalism.

15 Jessica Sanchez, Advanced Sports Medicine Ray Albiento, Instructor Jessica achieved exemplary grades in her class while at the same time volunteering to serve the schools through helping on the “Peace, Love and Pancake” fundraisers as well as at a soup kitchen for her community church. Her commitment to the Sports Medicine program is demonstrated by the fact that she has performed over 500 internship hours helping with injury evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, game preparation, and medical game coverage. Being an athlete herself, and having been injured, she has a personal motivation to help other athletes get back to their full capabilities.

Ryan McGhehey, Civil Engineering and Architecture (PLTW) Clayton Valley Charter High School Scott Farquhar, Instructor One word to describe Ryan is meticulous. He asks brilliant questions and goes above and beyond on assignments. He credits his love of Legos with joining the Clayton Valley Engineering Academy and leading to a desired career in environmental or civil engineering.

Andrea Aleman Ruiz, Advanced Sports Medicine Pittsburg High School Scott Pygeorge, Instructor Andrea’s energetic and warm personality makes her easily approachable by all. With over 200 volunteer hours with the school athletic program, a supervisor position at Waterworld, and mentoring of first-year students, she has learned valuable teamwork, time management, and leadership skills. She will eventually attend Sacramento State University to become a certified athletic trainer.

16 Dillon Wall, Advanced Video Production Stacey Churchill, Instructor Besides volunteering to film and edit events for the school community, Dillon created two documentary films this year. One focused on teen depression and suicide and the other captured wildlife and biodiversity. Dillon’s motivation is to immerse and educate his audience, and ultimately, call them to action. Next year he will be pursuing a career in documentary film and continuing his great work.

Ivan Isguerra, Careers in Teaching Ygnacio Valley High School Thatcher Palmer, Instructor Ivan has overcome significant obstacles and blossomed into a powerful communicator and leader in the ROP program. Heading up the Academy’s Leadership Fundraising Team, he helped to plan, facilitate, and execute fundraisers for the community. Ivan’s experience in the ROP program has been transformative.

Faith Mitchell, Advanced Media Communication Theodore Grover, Instructor The one characteristic that sets Faith apart from her fellow students is her perseverance in the face of technical difficulty. Faith headed up a student team that ran into unresolvable interface issues, and rather than giving up, she pulled her team together and realigned the tasks needed to complete the project. It was her determination that enabled the team to succeed. She has gained skills in Adobe’s Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier programs and she hopes to pursue a career in the film and television industry.

Special Recognition to Students Who Were Nominated Matthew Magnus, Video Production , Stacey Churchill, Instructor Hailey Park, Sports Medicine Albany High School, Maureen Wiser, Instructor Adriana Saroni, Careers in Teaching Alhambra High School, Marianne Griffin, Instructor Matthew Panelo, Computer Aided Drafting Albany High School, Dean Walker, Instructor Teresa Hansen, Sports Medicine Alhambra High School, Amanda Hawkes, Instructor 17 Special Recognition to Students Who Were Nominated Kiaria Flores, Careers in Teaching , Tamsen Armstrong, Instructor Tyler Coach, Construction Technology Antioch High School, Dylan Howell, Instructor Samuel Wallan, Computer Science Berkeley High School, Matt Albinson, Instructor Michelle Fomin, Careers in Teaching

California High School, Jessica Heagle, Instructor Holland Seropian, Computer Graphic Arts California High School, Jennifer Bible, Instructor Patrick Rettig, Journalism Production California High School, Brian Barr, Instructor Samantha Cvetovac, Medical Interventions California High School, Andrew White, Instructor Francesca Gamba, Sports Medicine Advanced Clayton Valley Charter High School, Annie Martin, Instructor Thomas McDowell, Medical Interventions College Park High School, Al T. Douex, Instructor Isabelle Ariana, Sports Medicine College Park High School, Al T. Douex, Instructor Marlon Doppe, Advance Photography Concord High School, Allison Villars, Instructor Emily Fine, Advanced Photography Concord High School, Allison Villars, Instructor Esther Hsu, Health Science Emergency Medicine , Deborah Taylor, Instructor Felicity Scott, Developmental Psychology of Children Deer Valley High School, Connie Hunt, Instructor Dennis Chen, Marketing Deer Valley High School, Steve Kish, Instructor Ritika Pudota, AP Computer Science Dougherty Valley High School, Preet Dalziel, Instructor Emmanuelle Zakheim, Careers in Teaching Dougherty Valley High School, Stacie Yaeger, Instructor Spoorthi Vittaladevuni, Introduction to Business Dougherty Valley High School, Jeff Silverman, Instructor Jazmyne Duran, Cosmetology Heritage High School, Tamara Reaves, Instructor Alejandro Lara-Agraz, Digital Recording Studio Heritage High School, Juan Carreon, Instructor Jacob Amrine, Robotics Engineering Technology Heritage High School, Robert Pardi, Instructor Arlette Meza Navarro, Cosmetology Independence High School, Kate Perry, Instructor 18 Melissa Lucas, Multimedia , Ken Leslie, Instructor Andersson Esteban, Digital Photography Kennedy High School, Steven Pinto, Instructor Hayley Finetti, Analytical Forensic Science Liberty High School, Kaelalyn DiNino, Instructor Joseph Dutra, AP Environmental Science Liberty High School, Julie Hubbard, Instructor Julia Cole, Culinary Arts Millennium High School, M’lisa Kelley, Instructor Matthew Hayes, Culinary Arts Monte Vista High School, Linda Hann, Instructor Jessica Wehber, Developmental Psychology of Children Monte Vista High School, Carol Dashiell, Instructor Lucas Wilson, Introduction to Engineering Monte Vista High School, Rodger Johnson, Instructor Rebecca Clemmons, Play Production Monte Vista High School, Chris Connors, Instructor Tatiana Arias, Biotechnology Mt. Diablo High School, Jillian Maganito, Instructor Katie Baxter, Careers in Teaching Northgate High School, Christine Reimer, Instructor Aly Fosbury, Journalism Production Northgate High School, Karen Jenkins, Instructor Kyle Deutsche, Culinary Arts Piedmont High School, M’lisa Kelley, Instructor Ariel Tonesi-Berenyi, Medical Interventions Pinole Valley High School, Daniel O’Shea, Instructor Analisa Fernandez, Sports Medicine Pinole High School, Daniel O’Shea, Instructor Myla Benjamin, Advanced Photography Pittsburg High School, Annelie Pate, Instructor Angelique Davis, Civil Engineering and Architecture (PLTW) Pittsburg High School, Kurt Osmer, Instructor Anjenica “Nikki” Ramos, Computer Graphic Arts Pittsburg High School, Rene Acevedo, Instructor Jumer Caragay, Computer Science Pittsburg High School, Romeo Simionas, Instructor Riodelle Faye Reyes, Video Production Pittsburg High School, Paul Lacasse, Instructor Madeline Goldt, Careers in Teaching San Ramon Valley High School, Cindi Sekera, Instructor Julia Nazer, Computer Graphic Arts San Ramon Valley High School, Erin Parsons, Instructor Jennifer Navarro, Biotechnology Ygnacio Valley High School, Maria Fletcher, Instructor 19 Contra Costa County CTE/ROP Would Like to Thank Our Sponsors

C ontra C osta County CTE/ RO P

Celebrating Excellence in

Career Technical Education

77 Santa Barbara Road Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 www.cocoschools.org/ROP • (925) 942-3368 5/8/2017 YS ROP