Area high school Students of the Year are recognized

Student of the Year winners from left to right - Abigail Nering, Perris High School; Cherylann Burke, Perris Lake High School; Carlos Santana Ayala, California Military Institute; Meagan Macatangay, Paloma Valley High School, and Alice Pitts, Heritage High School.

Contributed content:

Five Perris Union High School District students were recently honored by the Perris Valley and Menifee Valley Chambers of Commerce as Students of the Year.

Students competed in a vigorous scholarship application process that included two essay questions and each winner received a $3,100 scholarship donated by community organizations and businesses. They also received many gifts and certificates also donated by local businesses, organizations, and dignitaries. Students shared from their heart what it meant to receive this award and expressed their thanks and appreciation from family and the community.

Meagan Macatangay is Paloma Valley High School’s Student of the Year. With over 500 community service hours, involvement in numerous clubs and organizations, and taking a multitude of AP and Honors classes, it’s amazing that she was able to maintain a 4.4 GPA.

One of those activities that Meagan shared she was passionate about is dance. She believes that art is the purest form of self expression and this has been a great benefit to her. “Dancing has helped put my emotions into movement and has helped me further understand myself and my understanding of others,” she said.

Another passion of Meagan’s is being able to help others, which she has been able to do through some of her activities. Meagan expressed her gratitude for the support she’s received, especially from her parents. She understands the sacrifices they made coming to the United States and working hard to live a better life.

Meagan will be attending her dream college, UC Irvine, as a biological science major with intent to switch to nursing. She plans on working as a registered nurse to help pay for medical school. In the long term, Meagan plans to become a neonatologist and would like to join medical missions that visit third world countries to help with medical needs for people in those countries.

Alice Pitts was Heritage High School’s November’s Student of the Month, and now Student of the Year. Alice has been involved in a number of organizations, including the National Honor Society (NHS), Student for Change, AVID, where she also served as president, and tennis. In addition to her extracurricular activities, she has taken multiple AP and Honors classes, graduating with a 4.3 GPA.

One of the most influential clubs that Alice participated in was AVID. She shared how this organization was a major part of her success during her high school career. Alice had been involved in AVID since the sixth grade, and it has guided her through the years helping her find her goals. In as much as AVID has been a great influence on Alice, according to her principal, Lindsay Chavez, Alice has been a major influence on others. Ms. Chavez commented that Alice has been an inspiration and mentor to not only the younger Heritage High Patriots, but to her peers that are in her graduating class.

Last November, when Alice was recognized for Student of the Month, her AVID teacher, Sara Huerta. shared how much she admired her character. “Alice always has integrity; it didn’t matter who was watching,” she said. Alice will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as an accounting major focusing on business administration.

Perris High School Student of the Year is Abigail Nering. Abigail was number one in her class and the 2022-23 valedictorian. Abigail has been involved in numerous activities including ASB and Future Farmers of America (FFA), where she served as an officer. She also took quite a number of AP courses and graduated with a 4.3 GPA.

According to Assistant Principal Doug Cousins, there was no doubt that Abigail is deserving of the Student of the Year award. According to Mr. Cousins, Abigail led by example. He described her as quiet and very intelligent. Earlier in the year, Abigail shared how she was working through some social anxieties at the time. A large part of getting through that was taking an AP psychology class. Taking this class was not only an academic learning experience, but it also was therapeutic and became a safe place where she was able to work through some of her issues.

“Every day we would have the most bizarre conversations and even sometimes just a therapy session,” she said.

Abigail is still working through some of those issues and looks forward to taking what she has learned to college. She will be attending UC Irvine majoring in nursing to become a traveling nurse.

Perris Lake High School’s Student of the Year is Cherylann Burke. Cherylann was February’s Student of the Month and at that time she shared how she had struggled in school and was told by a couple of different teachers that she would not graduate and would not amount to anything. However, attending Perris Lake became a turning point for her both academically and personally. She was welcomed by a loving staff and through their encouragement, and support of her family, she not only graduated high school, early to be exact, but was also the valedictorian for her class.

Cherylann expressed her thanks and gratitude to those who helped her through her journey, including Principal Lee Alfred. Mr. Alfred praised Cherylann for her accomplishments and being brave to face the challenges she's had in her life. “We don’t learn by how smooth the road is, but by how rough the challenges are that we go through in life,” he said.

Cherylann is an exceptional example of having perseverance and experiencing the fruits of her hard work. Cherylann will continue her education by attending Mt. San Jacinto College for two years and then transferring to a four-year college to study veterinary medicine.

California Military Institute’s Student of the Month is Carlos Santana Ayala. Carlos has spent the last five years attending CMI, starting out as a shy eighth grader to eventually becoming the 9th Brigade XO in charge of over 1,000 cadets. It has been an amazing journey for Carlos, especially coming from a different country, not knowing the language, and learning a new culture.

Carlos shared back in March of the challenges he and his family experienced with an unstable father and eventually being able to settle in the United States. Carlos has worked hard to get where he is today and in the process earned the respect of other cadets and staff. Principal Dr. Nicholas Milosavljevic, had commented on Carlos’s extraordinary character, stating that he was not only someone who earned everyone's trust, but is also someone they all look up to. Carlos expressed his thanks to everyone at CMI for helping to shape and mold him.

Carlos will be attending Riverside Community College for two years and then transfer to Cal State San Bernardino to major in computer science. He would like to enter the field of cyber security. In addition, while attending CSSB, he will also be participating in the Air Force ROTC and commissioning as an officer.

All of these students demonstrated a desire to work hard and have a drive to exceed others and their own expectations. The Perris Valley Chamber and the Menifee Valley Chamber congratulate them on their scholarship awards and wish them the best in their endeavors. If you would like to learn more about the Student of the Month Program, please contact founder Sally Myers at 951-506-8024.