RIVERSIDE – Grade-point averages of 4.8, near-perfect SAT scores, and thousands of hours of community service were the hallmarks of the best and brightest students from the class of 2018 in Riverside County that were honored on Wednesday, April 25, at the 13th Annual Riverside County Student Academic Awards Dinner.

Held at the Riverside Convention Center, the event also featured the announcement of the 2018 Riverside County Top Academic Scholars—the top graduating students from each school district.

More than 600 parents, principals, trustees, and superintendents celebrated 144 Riverside County high school students for their outstanding academic achievement. Based on their enrollments, each high school was asked to select between one and three top students taking into consideration their grade-point average, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, extracurricular activities, and community service.

Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Judy D. White, Ed.D., also announced the names of the top 20 students—one from each district in the county with high schools—as the 2018 Riverside County Top Academic Scholars. With an average SAT score of 1334, this elite group of students will graduate with a collective grade-point average of 4.55. In the fall, they will be attending colleges such as: UC Berkeley, Yale, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell, and more. With transcripts packed with Advanced Placement (AP) courses and a wide variety of extra-curricular and community service activities, only six of the top all-academic team members ever received a grade of “B” during their high school career.

The 2018 Riverside County Top Academic Scholars

  • Hamilton Nguyen, Hillcrest High School, Alvord USD
  • Colleen Lagazo, Banning High School, Banning USD
  • Amy Calderwood, Beaumont High School, Beaumont USD
  • Cristina Valdez, Desert Mirage High School, Coachella Valley USD
  • Peichung (Ryan) Chou, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
  • Ethan Duong, Palm Desert High School, Desert Sands USD
  • Sabrina Gobran, Western Center Academy, Hemet USD
  • Ana Padilla, Jurupa Valley High School, Jurupa USD
  • Nathan Strong, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
  • Maria Fe Bazan Urmereta, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley USD
  • Brian Nguyen, Vista Murrieta High School, Murrieta Valley USD
  • Tan’yeasia Brewster, Nuview Bridge Early College High School, Nuview Union School District
  • Olivia Manes, Rancho Mirage High School, Palm Springs USD
  • Don Xavier Pelicano, Palo Verde Valley High School, Palo Verde USD
  • Dayra Leal Sanchez, Heritage High School, Perris Union HSD
  • Alma Martinez, Riverside County Education Academy, Riverside County Office of Education
  • Yushan “Susan” Su, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
  • Carolina Villegas, San Jacinto High School, San Jacinto USD
  • Stephanie Lai, Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley USD
  • Thai Gillespie, Rancho Verde High School, Val Verde USD

Full List of Student Academic Award Honorees from the Class of 2018 at Each Comprehensive, Public High School in Riverside County follows:

ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Evelyn Manrique, Hillcrest High School

Hamilton Nguyen, Hillcrest High School

Mikhaela Lewis, La Sierra High School

Chayra Montoya, La Sierra High School

Delbert Garay, Norte Vista High School

Yessica Mox, Norte Vista High School

Hien Tran, Norte Vista High School

BANNING UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Colleen Lagazo, Banning High School

Melody McNair, Banning High School

BEAUMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Amy Calderwood, Beaumont High School

Gabriela Medina Ortiz, Beaumont High School

Emma Whamond, Beaumont High School

COACHELLA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Vanessa Aguilar, Coachella Valley High School

Jeanette Alaves, Coachella Valley High School

Simon Moore, Coachella Valley High School

Jessica Hernandez-Beltran, Desert Mirage High School

Cristina Valdez, Desert Mirage High School

Michelle Regalado-Ayala, West Shores High School

CORONA-NORCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Andrew Casilang, Centennial High School

Peichung “Ryan” Chou, Centennial High School

Keerthana Sivathasan, Centennial High School

Mariela Centeno, Corona High School

Germar Gonzalez, Corona High School

Nicholas Taylor, Corona High School

Benny Cai, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Nancy Chea, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Samir Nomani, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Cooper Drain, Norco High School

Nicolas La Polla, Norco High School

Megan Roy, Norco High School

Richard Chung, Santiago High School

Emmi Deckard, Santiago High School

Maha Malik, Santiago High School

DESERT SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Esmeralda Gomez, Indio High School

Isabella Sung, Indio High School

Mlen Azurin, La Quinta High School

Adria Burton, La Quinta High School

Sienna Sutton, La Quinta High School

Ethan Duong, Palm Desert High School

Emon Shaaf, Palm Desert High School

Isaiah Campbell, Shadow Hills High School

Elissa Parra, Shadow Hills High School

HEMET UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Alissa Kaabe, Hamilton High School

Carisma Patrick, Helen Hunt Jackson College Prep High School

Ashlyn Dunn, Hemet High School

Michael McDonald, Hemet High School

Shalini Patel, Hemet High School

Elica Joy Labaco, Tahquitz High School

Kiyomi Sugita, Tahquitz High School

Bobbie Rivers, West Valley High School

Aaron Wu, West Valley High School

Sabrina Gobran, Western Center Academy

JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

David Cabrales, Jurupa Valley High School

Ana Padilla, Jurupa Valley High School

Christopher Arellano, Patriot High School

Briana Fragoso, Patriot High School

Natalie Kelly, Patriot High School

Joseph Martinez Neal, Rubidoux High School

Yazmin Mercado, Rubidoux High School

LAKE ELSINORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Rhiannon Bosch, Elsinore High School

Sheryl Ghoubrial, Elsinore High School

Ahmad Said, Elsinore High School

Joshua Hendley, Lakeside High School

Taylor Ogden, Lakeside High School

Dayana Esquivel, Temescal Canyon High School

Justin Ho, Temescal Canyon High School

Nathan Strong, Temescal Canyon High School

MORENO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Maria Fe Bazan Urmereta, Canyon Springs High School

Jacqueline Cervantes, Canyon Springs High School

Daysi Frias, Canyon Springs High School

Juan Alba-Pedroza, Moreno Valley High School

Eduardo Martinez, Moreno Valley High School

Rosa Muñoz, Moreno Valley High School

Nina Cendejas, Moreno Valley Online Academy

Sareen Manuel, Valley View High School

Desi Ramirez, Valley View High School

Stephanie Sanchez, Valley View High School

Samantha Giron, Vista Del Lago High School

Katera Lee, Vista Del Lago High School

Salvador Ramos, Vista Del Lago High School

MURRIETA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Mariam Khalil, Murrieta Mesa High School

Emily Larson, Murrieta Mesa High School

Katie Lin, Murrieta Mesa High School

Jeffrey Kim, Murrieta Valley High School

Parker Lake, Murrieta Valley High School

Taylor Shimono, Murrieta Valley High School

Abigail Murray, Vista Murrieta High School

Brian Nguyen, Vista Murrieta High School

Eman Sherif, Vista Murrieta High School

NUVIEW UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

Tan’yeasia Brewster, Nuview Bridge Early College High School

PALM SPRINGS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Adriana Ortega, Cathedral City High School

Liliana Zamora, Cathedral City High School

Esmeralda Salazar, Desert Hot Springs High School

Kimberly Sanchez Briones, Desert Hot Springs High School

Brandon Fong, Palm Springs High School

Colleen Velasco, Palm Springs High School

Erika Gutierrez, Rancho Mirage High School

Olivia Manes, Rancho Mirage High School

PALO VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Don Xavier Pelicano, Palo Verde Valley High School

PERRIS UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Sonia Singh, California Military Institute

Sophia Acosta, Heritage High School

Dayra Leal Sanchez, Heritage High School

Andrea Serrato, Heritage High School

Erick Amezcua, Paloma Valley High School

Kathleen Phan, Paloma Valley High School

Sean Michael Reyes, Paloma Valley High School

Karina Gonzalez Guillen, Perris High School

Julian Mercado, Perris High School

Lara Santa Cruz, Perris High School

RIVERSIDE COUNTY EDUCATION ACADEMY

Alma Martinez, Riverside County Education Academy

RIVERSIDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Litzy Garcia, Arlington High School

Kieren Ritter, Arlington High School

Jiaxin Li, John W. North High School

Shawn Schive, John W. North High School

Jiwon Shiu, John W. North High School

Yaksh Patel, Martin Luther King High School

Amandeep Rana, Martin Luther King High School

Yushan “Susan” Su, Martin Luther King High School

Blaze Arnold, Ramona High School

Lucy Juarez, Ramona High School

Victor Lao, Ramona High School

Simran Brar, Riverside Poly High School

Carissa Gann, Riverside Poly High School

Michelle Krakora, Riverside Poly High School

Nivedita Kanrar, Riverside STEM Academy

SAN JACINTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Guadalupe Botello Urincho, San Jacinto High School

Sierra Golding, San Jacinto High School

Carolina Villegas, San Jacinto High School

TEMECULA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Andra Deaconn, Chaparral High School

Stacy Li, Chaparral High School

Berlin Paez, Chaparral High School

Gabriela Goldsmith, Great Oak High School

James Han, Great Oak High School

Stephanie Lai, Great Oak High School

Kai Aiello, Temecula Valley High School

Gwyneth Lu, Temecula Valley High School

Harrison Shaw, Temecula Valley High School

VAL VERDE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Saul Gonzalez, Citrus Hill High School

Cheyenne Jackson, Citrus Hill High School

Chad Shearer, Citrus Hill High School

John David Aragon, Rancho Verde High School

Thai Gillespie, Rancho Verde High School

Marco Rodriguez, Rancho Verde High School

(Photo Caption)

Top Row (from L to R): Alma Martinez, Riverside County Education Academy, Riverside County Office of Education; Nathan Strong, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD; Ana Padilla, Jurupa Valley High School, Jurupa USD; Yushan “Susan” Su, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD; Ethan Duong, Palm Desert High School, Desert Sands USD; Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Judy D. White; Peichung (Ryan) Chou, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD; Cristina Valdez, Desert Mirage High School, Coachella Valley USD; Amy Calderwood, Beaumont High School, Beaumont USD; Colleen Lagazo, Banning High School, Banning USD; Hamilton Nguyen, Hillcrest High School, Alvord USD
Bottom Rom (from L to R): Thai Gillespie, Rancho Verde High School, Val Verde USD; Stephanie Lai, Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley USD; Carolina Villegas, San Jacinto High School, San Jacinto USD; Sabrina Gobran, Western Center Academy, Hemet USD; Dayra Leal Sanchez, Heritage High School, Perris Union HSD; Don Xavier Pelicano, Palo Verde Valley High School, Palo Verde USD; Olivia Manes, Rancho Mirage High School, Palm Springs USD; Brian Nguyen, Vista Murrieta High School, Murrieta Valley USD; Maria Fe Bazan Urmereta, Canyon Springs High School, Moreno Valley USD; Tan’yeasia Brewster, Nuview Bridge Early College High School, Nuview Union School District