Nine students to receive $2,500 as culmination of year-long
Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Month program hosted by
Riverside County Office of Education in partnership with community sponsors
Palm Desert, CA
The graduating class of 2024 has experienced a unique educational journey during their high school years. Their freshman years began at home in quarantine through distance learning. This came on the heels of 8th grade completion ceremonies that were either cancelled or converted to drive-through events due to the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Month – March 2024 Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez provides opening remarks.
For many students, their upcoming high school graduation represents the first public celebration of their educational achievements, and the Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Year event organized by the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) is supplementing those celebrations with scholarships for students in the region.
Nine graduating seniors will each be recognized with $2,500 scholarships at the Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Year event to be held on Tuesday, April 30, at 9 a.m. at The Classic Club (75200 Classic Club Blvd, Palm Desert, CA 92211). Each of these students competed for the Student of the Year scholarship after being selected as a Student of the Month for their local high school.
“The first Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Year represents an opportunity to hear from, and recognize, these outstanding high school seniors before their higher education dreams take them to schools like UCLA, Berkeley, and more,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “Their inspiring stories of resilience and determination are what give us all hope for the future of the Coachella Valley, our state, and our nation.”
RCOE selected two scholarship recipients from each of three desert-area school districts: Coachella Valley Unified School District, Desert Sands Unified School District, and Palm Springs Unified School District.
Beyond these initial six recipients, three additional scholarships are being provided by community partners. Sun Community Federal Credit Union selected two recipients, and Altura Credit Union selected one additional recipient. The nine total recipients were chosen based on their outstanding academic achievements, active participation in high school life, and their inspiring journeys of self-improvement and transformation.
Additional community partners who sponsored this year’s Student of the Month and Student of the Year Program include:
Meet the Greater Coachella Valley Students of the Year:
Palm Springs Unified School District
Adriana Figueroa (Palm Springs High School)
While attending high school, Adriana Figueroa has served as an academic tutor, assisted with translating, participated in an internship, and totaled more than 180 hours of community service. Beyond her high school diploma, Adriana is on track to graduate with an Associate Degree in Political Science due to her dual enrollment at College of the Desert. After graduation, Adriana will be a first-generation college student attending UCLA. She intends to research issues related to national security and public policy, with aims of decreasing the correlation between low-income communities and educational achievement.
Lota Uyanwune (Cathedral City High School)
Lota Uyanwune’s parents immigrated from Nigeria to the United States—a decision that may have provided a safe future for their family, but also came with financial and relational challenges that Lota is determined to rise above. Lota’s desire to challenge herself has included rigorous academic coursework (AP courses), leadership (ASB and HOSA), and community involvement (volunteering at blood drives and health clinics). Her goal is to major in psychology to better understand the complexity of human emotions before attending medical school and becoming an obstetrician or gynecologist who can return to the Coachella Valley to give back to the community—specifically to serve minority and low-income women.
Desert Sands Unified School District
Addilyn Goodno (La Quinta High School)
Entrepreneurship represents a route to financial freedom that is intriguing for many young students to dream about after graduation. For Addilyn Goodno, there was no need to wait. She founded a four-leaf-clover jewelry business whose profits have helped pay for groceries for her family and led to the creation of additional small businesses that have sharpened her resilience and problem-solving skills while instilling a passion for social impact. One of her business creations, The Finance Factory, is a non-profit initiative to educate others about financial literacy and has resulted in the creation of 60 ebooks. After graduation, Addilyn will attend UC Irvine and double major in aerospace engineering and business economics.
Xitlali Natividad (Shadow Hills High School)
A home life that included periods of housing insecurity, time without running water, working wi-fi, or a functioning thermostat, taught Xitlali Natividad how to problem solve in order to stay on track at school and in life. As a first-generation college student, Xitlali Natividad’s acceptance to UC Davis to study environmental science will open up new opportunities for her and her family. Her desire is to become an environmental planner where she can express her passion for sustainability and the natural environment.
Coachella Valley Unified School District
Barbara Robolledo (Desert Mirage High School)
Barbara Robolledo’s desire to become a civil engineer to create sturdy structures for others is built on the instability she faced during her childhood. She describes her world crumbling starting at the age of seven when housing insecurity, family immigration issues, and more, led Barbara to gain a true passion and individual drive borne out of necessity. During her high school career, she has helped educate others—both at her high school and in multiple roles and schools in Mexico. After graduation, she will attend UC Berkeley.
Jesus Arellano-Sepulveda (Coachella Valley High School)
Jesus Arellano-Sepulveda believes that not coming from a wealthy household wasn’t an excuse to not succeed. Instead, he credits his situation with creating a bottomless hunger for success and opportunities. After a challenging start to high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jesus got involved with the Migrant Leaders Club, which he describes as a life-changing experience. Beyond the connections with students and dedicated support staff, Jesus took advantage of learning trips, volunteer experiences, job opportunities, and a paid internship. In the fall, Jesus will attend CSU San Bernardino and pursue a theater degree.
Altura Credit Union Scholarship Recipient
Ryan Zamora (Indio High School, Desert Sands USD)
After the passing of family members and friends when he was younger, Ryan Zamora admits that he didn’t see school as important. Years later, a renewed dedication to education has Ryan on the precipice of graduating at the top of his class along with two associate degrees from College of the Desert. While in high school, he has been actively involved in the Network Systems Pathway that prepares students for entry-level information technology jobs. He has logged more than 200 volunteer hours through participation in clubs and the community. Ryan will be attending CSU San Bernardino in the fall where he intends to fight for justice and protect those in need by pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.
Sun Community Federal Credit Union Scholarship Recipients
Frida Arriaga (Shadow Hills High School, Desert Sands USD)
Not many graduating high school students can claim that a street was named after them in their hometown. But, in 2020, Frida Way in the city of Coachella was named after her and her multi-year journey to petition for a traffic signal to increase school safety outside of her elementary school. Through this civic engagement experience, Frida sees microphones as tools to influence people with her words. She has served as an intern for Congressman Raul Ruiz, and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia while speaking to crowds about concerns facing the community. Inspired by her mother’s computer science degree, Frida has spent two summers mentoring middle school students in coding programs at UC San Diego. In the fall, her journey will take her to UC Berkeley, where she will begin studies toward a degree in computer science.
Camron McLaughlin (La Quinta High School, Desert Sands USD)
Eight hours a day, seven days a week. That was the average time that Camron McLaughlin admits to allocating to playing video games in 2020. The time in quarantine robbed Camron of the motivation and desire to excel. It wasn’t until sophomore year, that the reality of losing precious time led to better physical, emotional, and mental health choices. Camron decided to join the band to play tuba, and multiple clubs to connect with campus activities and volunteer in the community. In the fall, Camron’s dream school, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, will welcome this ambitious student who desires to be a mechanical engineer who designs, implements, and optimizes energy systems and technologies to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
The Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Year is the culmination of multiple Student of the Month events held throughout the 2023-2024 academic year that honored high school seniors from high schools in Palm Springs Unified School District, Coachella Valley Unified School District, Desert Sands Unified School District, and alternative high schools operated by the Riverside County Office of Education. This regional Student of the Month celebration led by RCOE marks the 9th of its kind throughout multiple regions in Riverside County, where a variety of community partners, including chambers of commerce and community groups, regularly highlight students of the month from individual districts.
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