Students Rising Above

Michelle Gertmenian-Wong & Jesse Rosenberg
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― The Students Rising Above committee has selected the new class of 2010. These scholars were chosen based on their incredible achievements, both academic and personal.

The committee was thrilled to take on more students this year than ever before. Read on to learn a bit about our special new students:

Bezait Ali, Gunderson High School, San Jose. Bezait is a student leader in her school's mentor program. Her goal is to become an architect after college.

Claire Alvarenga, Jefferson High School, Daly City. Claire is an exceptional student with a 3.88. Her dream is to go to Stanford and become a pediatrician.

Eddie Ashley, Oakland Technical High School, Oakland. Eddie is a well-rounded athlete in track and volleyball. He hopes to study architecture in college.

Cindy Bautista, Downtown College Prep, San Jose. Cindy was one of 16 students selected to attend Oregon's Shakespeare Festival. She wants to become an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Musadiq Bidar, The Athenian School, Danville. Musadiq is president of the Latino Club and treasurer of his class. After college, he wants to become a sports journalist.

Earvin Buckner, James Lick High School, San Jose. Earvin is vice president of Californian's Justice for Schools, a social justice program. He has a perfect grade point average.

Christian Castaing, City Arts and Technology High School, San Francisco. Christian is a commissioner at the San Francisco Youth Commission. He is interested in social justice and wants to be a doctor working with Doctors Without Borders.

Simone Evans, Metropolitan Arts and Technology, San Francisco. Simone is a California finalist for the National Miss American Pageant program. She also is a student leader on the Youth Advisory Board at school.

Jennifer Gramajo, San Rafael High School, San Rafael. Jennifer has a passion for music and writing. It has sparked her interest in music journalism.

Marley Grenafege, Sir Francis Drake High School, San Anselmo. Marley possesses creative talent. She performs in school plays and writes her own poetry.

Jacob Hernandez, Pinole Valley High School, Pinole. Jacob excels academically with a 4.33. He has devoted more than 300 hours of work to the Disabled Person's Recreation Center in Richmond.

Lawrence Jones, EXCEL High School, Oakland. Lawrence is a critical thinker. He recently attended the Close Up Foundation Conference in Washington, D.C.

John Kennedy, Archbishop Hanna High School, Sonoma. John is a talented musician whose music was honored at an international conference. He is also captain of his varsity baseball and basketball teams.

Sumathaterrise Lam, Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg. Sumathaterrise was a winner of the California State Senate Scholastic Achievement award. He has an incredible 4.63 GPA.

Melissa Lewelling, Gunderson High School, San Jose. Melissa volunteers serving food to the homeless at Oasis Church. She attended the Congressional Student Leadership Conference in New York where she earned a media study certificate.

Richard Lin, Hillsdale High School, San Mateo. Richard is a competitive badminton player. He is currently a PAL leader, a peer assistant learner at his school.

Jennifer Lopez, Lighthouse Community Charter School, Oakland. Jennifer is a Children's Hospital Volunteer. She aspires to be a social worker and help foster children.

Javier Magana, Eastside College Preparatory, East Palo Alto. Javier is a junior leader of his community service program at school. He also works at Canopy, a non-profit organization that advocates for urban forests.

Noe Mata, Eastside College Preparatory, East Palo Alto. Noe is known as "Mr. Vocabulary" at Eastside Prep. He has a job at a local restaurant in East Palo Alto.

Justine McCullum, Gateway High School, San Francisco. Justine is a rising leader in Future Leaders Institute. She hopes to make a movie about discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBTQ) in high schools.

Marjorie Morgan, MetWest High School, Oakland. Marjorie loves the fine arts. She has participated in poetry readings, performed dance routines, and acted on stage. She wants to be the first person in her family to attend a four-year college.

Adrian Morris, Deer Valley High School, Antioch. Adrian works hard to be a good role model for her younger siblings with her good grades and determination to succeed. She aspires to become a lawyer.

Citlaly Negrete, Downtown College Preparatory, San Jose. Citlaly is determined to overcome Latino stereotypes through her academic success. She wants to go to UC San Diego to study Marine Biology.

Angie Ngo, Andrew Hill High School, San Jose. Angie participates on her school's swim team and cross country team, works with the Red Cross Club, and is part of the Eastside Future Teachers Project—all while maintaining a 3.87!

Sha'Nice Patterson, City Arts and Technology High School, San Francisco. Sha'Nice divides her time between working two jobs, singing in the choir, and partaking in the NAACP for youth. She says her grandmother is the heart that keeps her going.

Susana Pinzon, Liberty High School, Brentwood. Susana is a 4.0 student and loves to box. She wants to be a pediatrician.

Jasenia Quintana-Lopez, Mission High School, San Francisco. Jasenia enjoys reaching out to others through her school's Wellness Center. She maintains a high GPA while balancing working at Giants games—a true San Franciscan!

Ta'Kijah Randolph, Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg. Ta'Kijah enjoys dancing and sings in her church choir. She is serious about her studies and participates in the Early Academic Outreach Program and AVID.

Afshan Rehman, Heritage High School, Brentwood. Afshan wants to major in bioengineering and then train as a commercial pilot and serve in the U.S. Air Force.

Uzma Rehman, Heritage High School, Brentwood. Uzma loves to volunteer at the library, and believes it is the best way to bring about change. She aspires to become an emergency room doctor.

Homero Rojas, East Palo Alto Academy, Menlo Park. Homero enjoys combining education with travel, participating in Outward Bound and Sojourn to the Past. He spends his free time tutoring younger students and playing soccer, and maintains a 3.8 GPA.

Nikosazana Sanders, City Arts and Technology High School, San Francisco. Nikosazana wants to study medicine to discover more effective treatments for cancer. She also enjoys working as a teaching assistant in her school's dance class.

Juan Sandoval, Archbishop Hanna High School, Sonoma. Juan spends lots of time volunteering—at Sonoma Developmental Center, the Boys and Girls Club, Sonoma Overlook Trail, and homeless shelters. He wants to come back to Hanna Boys Center as a Spanish teacher.

Sammi (Hui) Tam, Lowell High School, San Francisco. Sammi came to America from Hong Kong in 2001 and wants to be the first person in her family to go to college. She helps further her education by taking summer classes at UC Berkeley.

Carly Tello, City Arts and Technology High School, San Francisco. Carly has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was in elementary school, and hopes to pursue that career in college. She loves to write and share her poetry, using her words to reach a large audience.

Gabriela Trujillo, Eastside College Preparatory, East Palo Alto. Gabriela is on her school's student council and track team. She also participates in the drama department.

Yecica Ureña, Eastside College Preparatory, East Palo Alto. Yecica is devoted to volunteering. She likes helping out on community service projects and also tutors younger girls.

Diana Vargas, Eastside College Preparatory, East Palo Alto. Diana loves photography and playing piano, and still finds time to succeed academically—she has a 4.1. She wants to be the first in her family to attend a four-year college.

Tanesha Walker, EXCEL College Preparatory High School, Oakland. Tanesha is the captain of her school's debate team and participates in the choir and Young Adult Ministry at her church. She is an aspiring fashion designer and entrepreneur.

Tanisha West, Oakland Technical High School, Oakland. Tanisha enjoys creative writing, and hopes to study more poetry in college. She is interested in studying theater or law, and sees herself directing plays or being a judge one day.

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