Students of the Month Honored

Ten Temecula children were named "Students of the Month."

They were given awards by the , according to Melanie Norton, 's spokesperson.

Award recipients

Lance D. Wetherel of is an Air Force junior reserve officers in the Training Corps. Lance was nominated for Student of the Month by his corps teacher, Colonel Chip Dodson. Lance also participates in cross country, track and field, the Interact Club and the Young Republicans Club. Lance’s future plans include studying medicine and enlisting in the United States Air Force, according to Norton.

Priscilla Bermudez, a Temecula Valley High School student, has a 4.4 GPA, and her teachers say she is an extremely hard worker who displays determination and a humble attitude. Upon graduating from TVHS, she hopes to attend Stanford University and become an Adolescent Counselor.

Koki Saito, of , hopes to study business and law with the ultimate goal of becoming a financial analyst or corporate lawyer. Koki is involved in several clubs, including the Science Olympiad, and his nominating teacher spoke of his kindness, generosity and friendship, Norton said.

 Diniana Piekutowski, a Great Oak High School student, hopes to pursue Environmental Science upon graduating from high school. One of her many accomplishments at Great Oak High School is her appointment to the National Honor’s Society and participation on the speech and debate team. She says one of the greatest lessons high school taught her is to try new things and face your fears, according to Norton.

Randy Keefe, of , is the ASB president, Student Ambassador president, a member of the Interact Club, and he writes for the student newspaper. The life lesson Randy would like to share with others is to find balance between working hard and making time for friends and family. Randy hopes to one day pursue a career in politics, Norton said.

Angela Brown, a Linfield Christian School student, is a member of Linfield Christian School’s Varsity Football team, and she's an athlete at heart. She enjoys football, soccer, volleyball and basketball. The life lesson she would like to share is, “don’t be afraid, have confidence, live life as yourself." She says young people shouldn’t feel compelled to live up to a false image of perfection. She hopes to study kinesiology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, according to Norton.

Josiah Vega, of Temecula Preparatory School, is a well rounded intellectual, academic and athlete who demonstrates leadership by example, his teachers said. They say his focus and work ethic are admirable. Upon graduation, Josiah hopes to study political science in college and one day work for the FBI or in national security, Norton said.

Luke Amargo, of , has been most inspired in life by his grandfather. Luke’s mother says he has always lived a life of truth, integrity and service to society and our country. Upon graduation, Luke hopes to study communications at one of the UC schools or Oxford University, Norton said.

Brendan Flynn, astudent, is a company commander in Chaparral High School’s NJROTC. He hopes to attend San Diego State University or Cal State San Marcos and study business administration. His greatest life lesson so far has been that hard work pays off, and that doing your best will ultimately lead to success.

Victoria Iglesias, of Chaparral High School, is involved with many activities at Chaparral High School, including the ASB, Peer Leaders and the National Honor Society. She hopes to attend Boston University, where she would like to study nutrition. Her greatest life lesson has been to take hold of opportunity around you. She says that it is up to students to recognize opportunity around them and then decide to make something of it, according to Norton.