Thousand Oaks, CA – Compass Charter Schools celebrates graduating scholars Alexys Vivian, Hannah Smith, Miavalery Alvarez Becerra, Christian Carter, KristiLynn Effie, and Lyric Hearne-Hooker, all of whom named recipients of the Loud and Proud Scholarships and the Rising Firebird scholarships for the 2021-22 school year. Each scholar will be awarded $250 towards their college education.
Introduced last year, the Loud and Proud and the Rising Firebird scholarships are for Compass graduating seniors, thanks to philanthropic support from our staff, families, and the community. The Parent Advisory Council recommended recipients, and the Board of Directors approved those recommendations at their May 21 meeting. The Loud and Proud Scholarship application called for video submission, and the Rising Firebird Scholarship application called for several essays.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Compass community, we have been able to create a scholarship program for our graduating scholars. Both scholarships, our Loud and Proud and Rising Firebird scholarships, allow our scholars to showcase their Compass Experience on-screen and in writing,” explains J.J. Lewis, Superintendent, and CEO. “It was wonderful reviewing all of the applications with our Parent Advisory Council, who had the difficult job of selecting our recipients. The six scholars truly exemplify our mission, vision, and values, and I know they are on to great things as they close one chapter and head on to the next. I hope our scholarships aid them on their journey!”
Alexys Vivian, a Loud and Proud scholarship recipient with CCS of San Diego, plans to continue her education at San Diego City College and then attend a University. Vivian will pursue a degree in music recording technologies and audio design. Her first language is Spanish, and it has been an achievement for her to improve in her English language by a significant percentage at Compass.
Vivian shares, “The strengths I consider to have are willpower and the desire to continue studying to be useful in my community, both now and in the future. The obstacles that I have had to live with are the ones that we have all had in the world, which is the pandemic, which led my family and me to protect ourselves every day to continue preserving our health and being able to reach our goals, which in my case is to be able to graduate to continue with my university studies.”
Check out Vivian’s video submission.
Hannah Smith, a Loud and Proud scholarship recipient with CCS of San Diego, plans to attend Simpson University in their School of Business and Society. She aspires to own her own business, manage a large pre-existing company, or become an investor for small businesses. Smith is a lifelong learner and intends to make her education a lifelong journey.
Smith shares, “I love studying literature and other media. I enjoy writing comprehensive synopsis and thought-provoking essays in response to the media I study. Creating engaging, easy-to-understand explanations of stories and concepts is one of my strong suits.”
Check out Smith’s video submission.
Miavalery Alvarez Becerra, a Rising Firebird scholarship recipient with CCS of San Diego, plans to attend San Diego City College and transfer to San Diego State. Alvarez Becerra intends to pursue a program in environmental science, studying environmental engineering.
Alvarez Becerra shares, “In four years, I have learned to write, read and understand English, but I still have some trouble speaking. The school system is very different from Mexico, but I have learned so much, and my experiences have prepared me for my next school challenge. My parents did not have the opportunity to go to college, and they have challenged me to be the first in our family.”
Christian Carter, a Rising Firebird scholarship recipient with CCS of Los Angeles, plans to continue his education at California Baptist University. His future career plans are to attend and graduate college to have a career of his choosing. Carter has been enrolled in multiple honors courses during high school and has received honors.
Carter shares, “I strive to continue to push forward. I lost two of my dogs within two years, and I have been temporarily living away from my home due to flooding for several months. Yet, whatever life throws at me, I continue to finish what I started.”
KristiLynn Effie, a Rising Firebird scholarship recipient with CCS of San Diego, will be attending the University of California San Diego in the fall of 2022. She plans to study at the Visual Arts Facility in Sixth College at the University of California San Diego. Effie makes it a priority in her life to volunteer. She has served in the “Teen Academy” at the local police department and as an after-school leader with Homework Hangout, tutoring children in grades kindergarten through eighth. She has served on the Scholar Leadership Council and is currently president of the National Honors Society. Effie has received many awards, including Firebird of the Year, Honor Roll, Samaritan Award, Carson Scholar, Presidential Gold Award for Educational Excellence, and more.
Effie shares, “While illustration career possibilities are abundant, I have always gravitated towards the whimsical art style within a children’s book, literally bringing words to life. In addition, whenever I can, I find myself analyzing the periodic trends and signature styles of several fashion designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Zuhair Murad, and Elie Saab, to name a few. I can also see myself executing and bringing a designer’s vision to life by working in a studio, admiring textiles, and choosing which fabrics to apply to my sketch. Discovering what I am passionate about has allowed me to set aspirations now and later in my life.”
Lyric Hearne-Hooker, a Rising Firebird scholarship recipient with CCS of San Diego, is headed for UC Berkeley. She plans to study social sciences with an emphasis on global studies and in the Dance Department, focusing on world cultures. She has served on the Scholar Leadership Council and was President of the Virtual Field Trips Club, Dance Club, and Photography Club. Hearne-Hooker has been on the honor roll for four years and was accepted into the National Honor Society. She has over 100 hours of volunteer service and volunteers with the West Hollywood Teen Center, the Didi Hirsch Teen Mental Health Program, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Student Advisory Council. Hearne-Hooker was awarded as a Carson scholarship recipient twice. As a contributor to the LACOE, she was amongst a handful of scholar representatives invited to prepare a video invitation directly sent to Vice President Kamala Harris, inviting her to speak at our Women’s Leadership and Empowerment Conference for 2023. Additionally, she was honored with the VolunTeen award by the West Hollywood Teen Center.
Hearne-Hooker shares, “I know in my heart that what I do in the future will take me around the world. As an artist, I have a need to contribute to the world of dance and the history of dance in some way. In addition, as a representative of U.S. culture and a Los Angeles, CA native, I will seek to understand other cultures worldwide and find a way to contribute to a progressive global dialogue.”
Dollars raised through the Annual Fund support scholarships for our graduating seniors. Support these two scholarships, the Loud and Proud Scholarship, and the Rising Firebird Scholarship, with a gift of support today.
About Compass Charter Schools
Compass Charter Schools (Compass) is a WASC-accredited virtual personalized learning public charter school serving thousands of scholars throughout California. Catering to TK-12 grade scholars, Compass offers two personalized learning programs. Compass is committed to creating a collaborative virtual learning community, inspiring scholars to appreciate the ways in which arts and sciences nurture a curiosity for lifelong learning and preparing scholars to take responsibility for their future successes.
For more information, visit About Compass, and follow us on social media via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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