We are pleased to report that the California Jaycee Foundation is strong, supporting the Jaycee movement now and well into the future. 

 

The California Jaycee Foundation (CAJCF) annually gives scholarships of $1,000 to graduating California high school seniors.  This year the selection was from fifty four candidates whose applications were EXCELLENT.  The CAJCF nominates two of the academic awardees and one vocational awardee to the USJCI Senate for consideration in the awarding its 35 scholarships of $1,500 across 50 states. Because of the generosity of our individual sponsors we were able to DOUBLE our scholarships granted beyond last year!

Here's a quick look at the background of the top academic & vocational education candidates for California, each of whom receives a $1,000 scholarship from the CAJC Foundation. Congratulations to all of them!

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Alexander Bonfiglio, from Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita. As our number two selectee, his application has been forwarded to the USJCI Senate Foundation national competition.   Alexander is an Eagle Scout whose project was the creation of five small lending libraries located at a veterans housing area, retirement home and a mobile home park.  While maintaining a 4.74 cumulative GPA he also volunteered several hundred hours working in his community on behalf of Children’s Hunger Fund and The Canyon County Little League where he and his father rectified a drainage problem on the field and bullpens. This is impressive because he is already applying his engineering knowledge to real problems with good solutions. While he seeks a degree in electrical engineering, he gives proof to the idea that the scientific method applies to many tasks! The USJCI Senate Scholarship Committee announced that our California Scholarship winner Alexander Bonfiglio was one of TWO from California who had been selected for one of the 35 scholarships of $1,500 it was dispersing.  Congratulations Alexander!

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Charles Hiatt, from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach.  As our number one selectee, his application has been forwarded to the USJCI Senate Foundation national competition. Charles has a passion for leading efforts to protect individuals and organizations with a love of strategy, cybersecurity, and service.  At Mira Costa, he was President of the Cyber Security Club, organizing trainings, competition, community outreach, and he served on the student leadership board for Mira Costa Orchestras.  An exceptional student, he has already earned four Global Information Assurance (GIAC) certifications.  He won multiple cyber competitions, reached the 98th percentile in the National Cyber League for three seasons, and interned at Aero Products Co. and Northrop Grumman.  He also cares about climate activism and created Climate Mini Makeovers to empower others to protect the environment which won the General Motors STEM for its Changemaking Challenge Award.  He is also a talented musician and is a grade 4 accomplished Bagpipe soloist.  This year he serves as Concertmaster of the Mira Costa Symphony Orchestra.  Active in community service, he tutored disadvantaged students, performed piano and violin at nursing homes and hospitals, and performed with the California Millennial Choirs and Orchestra and the Long Beach Bob Cole Conservatory.  Charles is an Eagle Scout of BSA Troop 2020 and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and won the American Legion Scout of the Year Award.  Through training and awards he received from the National Youth Leadership Training, he set up flag ceremonies and interfaith worship services helping to foster inclusiveness to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders.  Achieving a 4.64 GPA, his future plans include pursuing a degree from USC and working in cyber security in supporting vulnerable non-profits, business, and government organizations. The USJCI Senate Scholarship Committee announced that our California Scholarship winner Charle Hiatt was the second  of TWO from California who had been selected for one of the 35 scholarships of $1,500 it was dispersing.  Congratulations Charles!

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Vincent Cham, from Edison Senior High School in Stockton.  Vincent’s commitment to becoming the best version of himself is evidenced in his achievements, both on and off the tennis courts.  On the Edison Senior Varsity Tennis Team, he went undefeated for two seasons. However, it is his perseverance, leadership and teamwork abilities that make him truly outstanding.  While in high school, while getting straight A’s and working part time, he completed over a dozen dual-enrollment college courses.  Vincent also served as President of the Key Club and Vice-President of the Rotary Club and participated in Chinese, Robotics, and Chess clubs.  He spent over 125 hours volunteering in the community through food drives, park cleanups, and tutoring other students.  Achieving a 4.64 GPA, his future career plans include becoming a nurse to help those needing healthcare in his community.

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Jose Gutierrez, from San Pasqual Valley High School in Winterhaven.  Jose is our Vocational Scholarship selectee, and as such, his application has been forwarded to the USJCI Senate Foundation national competition.  Jose is a dedicated, hardworking, ambitious, and focused student athlete who has won several High Honor Roll awards.  He participated as an active athlete on the Football, Soccer, and Wrestling teams.  Jose was also awarded a Future Farmers of America (FFA) Greenhand Degree from the San Pasqual Valley local FFA chapter part of the National FFA Organization. Jose contributed to the community, volunteering over 30 hours in various food drives with the Family Resource Center. While in high school, he has already completed several college courses aspiring to obtain an associate degree in automotive mechanics from Arizona Western College.

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Caitlin Troxel, from Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo.  Caitlin ranked seventh of 197 in her graduating class. With a cumulative GPA of 4.46 and her work as an intern at FathomWerx, she assisted on chemistry and chemical engineering tasks in support of research for the United States Navy - this is not a surprise!  A gifted ballet dancer who also tutors, she helps train other Girl Scouts in horsemanship and animal husbandry. Her activities in scouting have seen her win bronze and silver awards, volunteer service awards for her work in creating and administering STEM training for others. As team Captain and subsequent President of the Robotics club she was the electrical lead in the FIRST Robotics competition. She received the Robotic Engineering Award. An amateur astronomer, she breaks out her telescope on clear nights to look skyward.  The future is bright for this young woman who consistently reaches for the stars.

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Chima Oluo, from Deer Valley High School in Antioch.  Chima is a leader at his high school and beyond. An avid sportsman he captained the school Varsity Track and Soccer teams. In his senior year he serves as Vice President of the Associated Student Body while simultaneously attending Los Medanos College and short stints at Berkeley City College. Maintaining a 4.03 GPA he is an active member of the TRIO program directed at supporting first generation and low-income students to enroll in college. He was selected to attend the American Legion’s California Boys and Girls State program and subsequently its Supreme Court program where he authored majority opinions in cases and administered legal advocacy sessions.  He is very active in the statewide Mock Trial competitions and was recognized as one of the best in Santa Clara County.

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Everlynn Le, from Oakland High School in Oakland.  Throughout high school, Everlynn was active in buildOn, a national community service organization, and performed over two hundred hours of community service. She served as co-President of the local chapter at Oakland High and received the “Jim Parke Constructive Leadership Award,” buildOn’s highest national honor. She worked as a student mentor for East Bay Asian Youth Center, and she is a current advocacy intern for Public Health Institute, overseeing the Wellness for Asian Youth 2 (IWAY2) Project.  Everlynn is also an intern for Banteay Srei Oakland, providing community health support to Asian women at risk of sexual exploitation through youth mentorship and community building workshops.  She contributed to published Cross Cultural Medicine Anthology Volume 5 with an eight page narrative on intergenerational trauma among Vietnamese Americans.  Achieving a 4.53 GPA, her future plans include becoming a physician who delivers effective healthcare treatment and is an advocate who pushes for equity among underserved communities.

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Hannah Chu, from Valencia High School in Placentia.  Hannah Chu is an exemplary student with a GPA of 4.67 whose work with the Salvation Army as a bilingual tutor has helped hundreds of refugees since 2021.  She is a National Merit Commended Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction. A gifted pianist she plays for the Chinese Worship Team and Choir at her local church. As a sophomore she helped found The Valencia High School’s “Discover Code” chapter that teaches computer science classes for elementary and middle school students in the school district. She teaches classes via the web as well as in person. An avid sportswoman she has participated on her high school Basketball, Track and Cross-Country teams.  She has been recognized annually for the past three years with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  A gifted student and musician, she is also a person of intense scientific curiosity. Hannah is a Researcher for the Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences where she participated in investigating opioid receptors and the effects of bifunctional compounds on addition. As a Biola University Nanomedicine Intern she analyzed natural bioactive molecules from plants and their effects on cancer cells. As a Chemistry Research Intern at CSU Fullerton, she explores Delta E, H, and G values for the reactions between OH and NO2 radicals.