Esmeralda Nevarez Reyes
North Region
Chapter 1054 – Downieville High School
Adviser Lynn Fillo

Esmeralda Nevarez Reyes is a senior at Downieville Junior/Senior High School in Downieville California.  She has been very active  in CSF while serving as Treasurer and on the Valentines Day Fundraising Committee.  She has also participated in Cancer Awareness Walks, Sewed pillowcases for Children at Davis Hospital, Quilt to Auction for Artist’s in School program, Valentine’s Flower Sale, and as a CSF Peer Tutor. Active in the ASB at her school, she is currently the ASB president while also playing Basketball and Volleyball.

“She has been a well-received student writer for our local paper, The Mountain Messenger, reinforcing communication between the school and community.” says Lynn Fillo, her CSF Adviser, “She is the first person community organizers go to when they need help with an event.”

Susan Hopkins mirrors some of Mrs. Fillo’s thoughts, “I see Esmeralda as a creative problem solver, an excellent communicator, a thoughtful listener… all coming from her heart.  She is very much a “people person,” yet also someone who can take charge to get things accomplished.”  From all of her hard work, we know that she will go far.

Esmeralda sees community service as an important part of her life, “My proud small town is built on the roots of our community and helping one another.”

She plans to study Business Administration next fall at UCSC, CSU Sacramento, or CSU Chico.

Serena Lin
South Region
Chapter 48 – Glendora High School
Adviser Pam Edward

Serena Lin is a student at Glendora High School.  She is currently the president of her CSF chapter, where she has participated  the Panda Express fundraiser, and the Personalized School Spirit Fundraiser.  She is the vice-president for Youth and Government, the president of Girls Build LA, and the co-president of the Poetry Club.  Serena is an assistant coach for the Ethics Bowl, a member of the Glendora Wind Ensemble where she plays the clarinet, and was a member of the field hockey team.  This young woman founded a company called Simply Cranes which practices social entrepreneurship, and has donated half of its profit to the community initiative Cranes for a Cause, to which they have donated $3800 thus far.  Serena participated in a full-time summer program, leading a national team in the LaunchX Entrepreneurship Program launching a language learning startup for healthcare workers. 

Her additional community service includes a three-week program at UC Berkeley which encompasses service learning and community projects.  Serena volunteers her time at the Pasadena Senior Center and at the Hillcrest Assisted Living Community.  In fact, Serena plans to attend college locally at Pomona College, so that she can continue her local community service.  Serena has been honored with the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Poetry Silver Key, and was featured in the LA times for her creative service facilitating discussions and contributing poetry to the Pasadena Senior Center. 

Serena’s CSF adviser, Pam Edward states that Serena has demonstrated hard work and dedication to the Glendora CSF chapter, where she has helped with membership drives and fundraisers.  Ms. Edwards discusses Serena’s community involvement in Youth and Government, stating “I admire students who take initiative to be a part of the changes made on a civic level.” 

Annie Laski, Director of Events at the Pasadena Senior Center describes Serena as “a kind, wise, playful, and insightful young woman”.  In her personal statement, Serena explains, “Whether my impact is on individuals or groups, I aspire to use my creativity to draw out the best in others.” 

At Pomona College Serena hopes to continue using her creative writing skills, while also pursuing a degree in Neuroscience, with a minor in Economics.

Charlotte Chin
Central Coast Region
Chapter 484 – Bishop O’Dowd High School
Adviser Darling Vinavong

Charlotte is a student at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, where she is the founder and president of the school’s Girls Who Code chapter.  Charlotte is a percussionist in the symphonic band, and a pianist in the string orchestra, and has performed at numerous live and virtual musical events.  She has received the Music in the Parks High School String Orchestra First Place Award, and the California Music Educators Association Excellence Award.  Charlotte plays on both the varsity golf team and the varsity lacrosse team, where she has earned awards for her distinguishing herself as a successful scholar-athlete.  Charlotte has been a summer intern at the California State Treasurer’s Office, and at the Office of Alameda County Board of Supervisors.  As recognition for her service to her community, she received the President’s Volunteer Service Young Adults Gold Award in both 2019 and 2020.  Charlotte volunteers as an art apprentice at the Oakland Museum of Children’s Art, and was a founding student organizer of It Takes a Village COVID PPE Project in Alameda.  

Darling Vinavong, Charlotte’s CSF adviser, states “Charlotte is an exemplification of our Catholic mission and what it means to live your life in service to others.  She doesn’t just volunteer to fluff her resume, she does it because that’s who she is.  Charlotte is a prime example of what the youth of today can achieve.” 

California State Treasurer, Fiona Ma, wrote a letter of recommendation for Charlotte in which she explains how Charlotte initiated a proposal to reinstate a defunct treasury program which would address food insecurity in her community and in the State of California.  Ms. Ma states, “Charlotte’s intellectual curiosity, kindness, and work made her a valuable member of the internship.” 

In her personal statement, Charlotte explains how she has gravitated towards choosing extracurricular and volunteer opportunities geared toward tackling social inequality.   To this end her internship at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors focused on finding solutions for food insecurity, childhood poverty, and access to affordable healthcare.  As a founding youth student organizer of the Oakland chapter of It Takes a Village COVID PPE Project, Charlotte expresses, “I think it really does take a village to make the world a better place, and I’m so glad I could contribute to such a worthy cause.” 

Charlotte intends to pursue a degree in Sociology, at either UCLA, USC, or UC San Diego.

Nathan Miranda
South Central Region
Chapter 1182 – Santa Susana High School
Adviser Karen Hazlewood

Nathan Tran Miranda attends Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley California where he currently serves as Co-President of his CSF Chapter.  This Eagle Scout spends a lot of his time on the stage, performing in Show Choirs, A Capella Groups, Musical Theater, and Thespian groups.  But he also finds time to do multiple community service activities including Greeting Videos for Senior Centers, Teacher appreciation days, and more.

“Nathan has created many service projects for CSF members to help out with during this time of isolation. He knows the importance of staying connected and supporting his fellow students.” says Karen Hazlewood, his CSF Adviser.  She goes on to quote Shakespeare in her thoughts about Nathan, “[s]he doth teach the torches to burn bright…” This, too, is Nathan Miranda. By his attitude, actions and words he teaches the rest of us “torches” how to burn brighter and more often.

In the fall Nathan plans to continue his education at an Ivy League college such as Harvard or Princeton and study Biology and Pre-Med.

Ravpreet Grewal
Central Region
Chapter 175 – Manteca High School
Adviser Denise Pasion

Ravpreet Grewal is a student at Manteca High School and is serving as the Activities Director of his CSF chapter. CSF activities include Pizza and Play and the Sock Drive. He also serves as the Academic Decathlon Vice President, on the Executive Board for the College Prep Club, and has served as an officer in the Chemistry, Robotics, and P.E.A.C.E. clubs. While participating in the Academic Decathlon, he earned 3rd Best Overall Performer and 10 individual medals. Ravpreet is also the captain of the tennis team, where he was the Division 4 Section Champion in 2019. He served as a student volunteer at the Manteca Public Library. In addition, he has two years of experience with Math Bridge helping frosh transition from middle to high school. Having served 354 hours of volunteer work at the Doctors Hospital of Manteca ranging from working the front desk to working alongside nurses, Ravpreet was presented the 2020 “Making a Difference” award.

Joyce Bowmar (Senior Advisor of the Student Volunteer Program at Doctors Hospital) proclaims “Revpreet’s caring nature and personality allowed him to work well with others in a team environment”. She also stated he became a trainer for other students.

When asked to describe something unique about himself, he quickly responded ‘adaptability’. This stems from his immediate family moving to the United States from India in 2017 and the challenging (yet successful) assimilation process that transpired thanks to his local family. To that degree, he states “I pledged I would never let that happen to anyone that may be in the same situation I was.” Thus, he has utilized his knowledge of Hindi, Punjabi, French, and English to ease the transitions of five students.

Ravpreet plans to attend the University of California, Berkeley and major in data science.

Safiya Munif
North Region
Chapter 1226 – Horizon Charter School
Adviser Melora Klusnick

Safiya Munif attends Horizon Charter School in Lincoln, California where she has been the CSF President for three years.  She has been working on several community service projects such as the River City Food Bank Service Project, Panda Express Fundraisers, Wellspring’s Women and Children Center, and the CSF Student Leadership Conference.  But she does not stop there, Safiya also works heavily with Sac Web Design a Non-profit organization, Impact Sac a Non-profit organization, and The Gen Zero Podcast.

Paris Dye, the Executive Director of Impact Sac says, “Safiya boldly leads the group of over 100 teens through several projects, experiences, and opportunities without losing focus of her personal mission to graduate college, produce the Gen Zero Podcast for youth and go on to achieving great success in her adult life.” 

Safiya goes way beyond just academics in her life.  Her CSF Adviser, Melora Klusnick, talks about her initial impressions about Safiya, “I was thoroughly impressed with the fact that she had a detailed plan for improvements in several areas. She wasn’t just finding a problem; she was providing a solution.”  Safiya is also passionate about her Pit Bull Terrier and wants to change the stereotypes regarding this breed. 

While she is undecided as to which college she will attend this fall and is excited in exploring all the options that her school of choice has to offer.