SAN JACINTO, Calif.–– Seven seniors graduating from southern Riverside County schools were recently honored as “Students of the Year” through a program sponsored by Altura Credit Union in conjunction with the San Jacinto and the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Hemet Unified School District and the San Jacinto Unified School District.
As part of this recognition, each student received a $2,000 college scholarship.
In its third year, the Student of the Month program recognizes outstanding students from each of the seven Hemet/San Jacinto high schools each month during the school year. The top students of the year were selected from among the monthly winners.
One of the more remarkable stories is that of Dmitry Shultz from Hemet High School. “When I was adopted, that’s when my life really changed,” he said. An orphan from Russia, Shultz focused on doing all the could with his new life. The scholarship selection committee noted his many contributions to school and community, including volunteering with the Central County United Way. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He was accepted to many top universities and plans to attend UC Berkeley in the fall.
Karena Chum, business development officer with Altura, and founder of the Student of the Month/Year program, says interest in the program has grown steadily and because of a boost in sponsors, this year the scholarships were increased to $2,000.
Seven seniors graduating from Hemet or San Jacinto Unified School District high schools recently were named “Student of the Year” and awarded $2,000 scholarships. The winning students are, below, from left, Dmitry Shultz, Claude Vargas, Kate Barker, Ben Jones, Ziyaad Qureshi, Kyle Pagdayunan and DenisseDominguez Llamas. The program is a joint project of Altura Credit Union, the San Jacinto and the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chambers of Commerce, Hemet Unified School District and San Jacinto Unified School District.