2023-2024 DIGIOVANNA AWARD ESSAY CONTEST RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023-2024 DiGiovanna Awards for their service to community and excellent writing.

North Region
Lily Tao
Chapter 923 Marsh Junior High School

Central Region
Adelle Gonzalez
Chapter 1307 Ridgeview Middle School

Central Coast Region
Ashaleia Pili
Chapter 668 Sequoia Middle School

South Central Region
Sarah Varghese
Chapter 1358 Ridgecrest Intermediate School

South Region
Sahasra Somayajula
Chapter 155 Carmenita Middle School

2023-2024 MICHELSON AWARD ESSAY CONTEST RECIPIENT – Yuan Cheng

Congratulations to Yuan Cheng, the 2023-2024 recipient of the Michelson Memorial Award for her essay about serving 600 meals since 2021 at The Union Rescue Mission in DTLA and as a result created with other students a slide presentation to raise awareness and funds for URM.

Yuan is a student at Marlborogh School, Chapter 197sc, Adviser Cynthia Dominguez.

Yuan’s essay captivates the reader from the first sentence. “The first thing I see about the people in line is always their hands. There are large hands, enveloped in wrinkles and laid open in front of me like books. There are small ones, fluttering restlessly about their young owners’ sides like birds waiting to fly.”  

Comments from the readers included:

  • “Fantastic opening which really grabs the reader. This student really seemed to have a strong impact on an immediate problem in their local community.”
  • “Beautiful writing… making a difference!”
  • “Incredibly creative and captivated me. The writer covered all of the requirements (and) did a spectacular job at explaining the relevance and impact of the community service experience.”

Her service in the community and lovely writing makes Yuan and her essay a winner.

2023-2024 Seymour Awards Finalists Announced

Congratulations to the 50 Seymour Award Finalists for 2023-2024!

Central Region

Pedro Campos-Reyes
Chapter 1263
El Diamante High School

Clare Gonzales
Chapter 512
Redwood High School

Donya Hassanshahi
Chapter 512
Redwood High School

Nancy Her
Chapter 1227
Sunnyside High School

London Jones
Chapter 1349
Mission Oak High School

Jamilyn Lewis
Chapter 1320
Millennium High School

Natalie Myers
Chapter 1287
Big Valley Christian High School

Jack Nelson
Chapter 1547
Sanger West High School

Dylan Schoenbrod
Chapter 1121
Buchanan High School

Kyle Espinoza-Denys
Chapter 888
Kern Valley High School

 

Central Coast Region

Ellery Barnes
Chapter 225
Tamalpais High School

Reena Boddukuri
Chapter 884
Prospect High School

Kalani Gaviola
Chapter 167
Paso Robles High School

Ainsley Hancock
Chapter 898
Aptos High School

Alice Kang
Chapter 873
Archbishop Mitty High School

Ethan Kim
Chapter 468
Las Lomas High School

Yeonjun Kim
Chapter 102
Livermore High School

Micheline Ma
Chapter 762
Piedmont Hills High School

Marcus Michie
Chapter 338
Carmel High School

Alyson Nobriga
Chapter 150
Liberty High School

 

North Region

Harkirat Batth
Chapter 1366
River Valley High School

Emily A. Garcia
Chapter 1403
Woodland Christian High School

Lily Henson
Chapter 380
Portola Jr./Sr. High

Kristine Manalang
Chapter 156
Vallejo High School

Noor Randhawa
Chapter 1157
Woodcreek High School

Kimberly Rios
Chapter 230
Williams High School

Mansi Sharma
Chapter 1408
Western Sierra Collegiate Academy

Anna Rose Soares
Chapter 120
Placer High School

Leyna Thai
Chapter 1197
Sheldon High School

Gianna Trezza
Chapter 1366
River Valley High School

 

South Region

Jad Abdel Nour
Chapter 753
South Hills High School

Emma Bronkar
Chapter 1508
Early College High School

Sky Bui
Chapter 633
Bolsa Grande High School

Katie Ditter
Chapter 1276
Westview High School

Faith Hibbard
Chapter 1293
Great Oak High School

Nylah King-Boyd
Chapter 505
Cathedral Catholic High School

Hannah Lee
Chapter 667
Sunny Hills High School

Bradley Morgan
Chapter 1293
Great Oak High School

Luke Sonderman
Chapter 1234
Palm Valley School

Tyler Truong
Chapter 665
Santiago High School

 

South Central Region

Emma Bui
Chapter 54
Oxnard High School

Laura Gomez
Chapter 757
John Glenn High School

Carolynn Nguyen
Chapter 54
Oxnard High School

Luca Perez
Chapter 701
Bishop Montgomery High School

Diego Plascencia
Chapter 1395
St. Monica Academy

Regina Reyes
Chapter 729
Ernest Righetti High School

Diana Salas
Chapter 480
Saint Mary’s Academy

Shelby Solomon
Chapter 480
Saint Mary’s Academy

Jennifer Torres-Bocanegra
Chapter 1472
Sun Valley Magnet School

Evan Troesh
Chapter 729
Ernest Righetti High School

Central Coast Conference March 9, 2024

CSF/CJSF invites ALL CSF and CJSF Members, Advisers, and Parents to the
Back to the Future
Central Coast Regional Conference

Hosted by Archbishop Mitty High School
5000 Mitty Way, San Jose, CA 95129 | MAP
Saturday, March 9, 2024 | 8:00a.m. – 3:00p.m.

Schedule

8:00 – 8:30      Breakfast/Registration
8:30 – 9:00      Welcome/Presentation of Seymour Finalists
9:00 – 11:45    Sessions/College Fair
10:00 – 12:00  Huhn workshop/ Student Summit
12:00 – 12:45  Lunch/College Fair
1:00 – 2:00      Presentation of Huhn and Seymour Awards Raffle/Closing Remarks

Tentative Workshops and Activities
  • Finding the right college fit? Private Schools, Out of State, UC, CSU, CC
  • Financial Aid, Scholarships, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
  • Studying in Europe session from the European Universities Consortium
  • I’m in middle school what can I do?
  • Quick, easy, and fun – how to research majors and careers
  • Discover your Creative Abilities
  • The College Essay
  • The College Athlete
  • Mini-College Fair (California, out of state, European)
Please note!

Please direct all questions to Mrs. Janie Falcone, CSF VP Central Coast at [email protected] or call 408-342-4222.
Please register soon or send me an email with your expected attendance number.
Registration deadline is March 7th.
The registration fee is $25 per person and covers breakfast/lunch, workshops, raffle, and event costs.
Huhn nominees and Seymour Finalists are not required to register for the conference or pay the registration fee.
Transportation must be arranged by your school or family.
All student groups must be accompanied by an adviser and/or parent.

Get information abouthe the other region Spring Awards Events and Students Summits for Huhn Nominees on the Calendar.

4TH CSF/CJSF STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY 10th VIA ZOOM!

SESSION GUIDE – (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

  • #1 How to Communicate with Adults – Building the courage in order to respectfully talk with adults.
  • #2 Survival Guide to High School 101 – Tips on how to survive high school and manage your mental health.
  • #3 One Book, One Community, Promoting Literacy Across the County
  • #4 Using UN SDGs to Meet Local Needs – The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
  • #5 Creating A Local Ecosystem Through Service
  • #6 Cultural Appreciation/ Integration into Daily Life
  • #7 Public Speaking 101
  • #8 Self Care
  • #9 Perseverance
  • #10 Board Member Forum

Register here. You will receive instructions to login and participate in the sessions.

Video: CSF Advisers Virtual Workshop January 18, 2024

Q&A from the meeting Chat

Slides – Brief introductory presentation in PDF format

Can you confirm the dates & location for awards? Complete details on Calendar.

  • March 9 — Central Coast
  • March 16 — Central
  • March 23 — South Central
  • April 6 — North
  • April 13 — South

Can students attend the region conference even if they are not finalists?
Students are welcome to attend the full Conference which will be in the Central Coast region on March 9th this year. This event will include workshops, college fair, and various activities for all CSF and CJSF members, advisers and parents. Students may attend on their own. The conference will also host the Seymour Interview, Huhn Workshop, and awards ceremony.
Other region events this Spring will host only the interviews for Seymour Finalists and workshops for Huhn nominees. We are testing a Student Summit at each of those events this year; this year for Huhn nominees only.

Explain CSF recognition on high school transcripts.
An indication of Sealbearer status should be placed on the permanent academic record and on transcripts; advisers may need to request this for eligible members.

What is the difference between Sealbearer and Life Member?
Sealbearer and Life Member are the same achievement. See the CSF Bylaws ARTICLE V – Requirements for Life (Sealbearer) Membership.

What is the minimum recognition (award) for Sealbearer (Life) members?
    1. The official CSF life membership pin.
    2. The Federation chapter seal on the diploma, and an indication of Sealbearer status on the permanent academic record and on transcripts.

How long is the chapter membership drive supposed to be?
This is up to each chapter adviser/school to decide. The usual is three to four weeks at the beginning of each semester.

Our chapter meets monthly. What are some of the things that everyone does during chapter meetings?
Meeting ideas really depend on the needs of your chapter. Often, chapters bring college admissions people, help students fill out the applications, create service opportunities, etc.

The students are doing a scholarship workshop together next week. What kinds of activities should be included?
A session on how to write a personal statement. For students about writing personal statement https://csf-cjsf.org/quick-tips-to-write-your-seymour-nominee-personal-statement/
Review scholarships offered in your community, go over the criteria and discuss ways to best apply.

What is the difference between the Student Leadership Conference-Virtual, and the full region Conference on March 9th in San Jose this year?
The SLC is a Free online event for students only. All sessions are presented by students, for students, and about students! CSF and CJSF members can choose from 10 presentations offered in various time slots. The sessions are on topics of interest to CSF and CJSF members. Get more information here https://csf-cjsf.org/student-leadership-conference/

A full region conference is in person and includes a variety of workshops and activities as well as a college fair, breakfast and lunch. This conference is open to members, advisers, and parents from all regions. The conference has something for members of every grade level as well as the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with members from other chapters. There is a fee to attend, this year it is $25. Get more information about the 2024 event here https://csf-cjsf.org/central-coast-conference-march-9-2024/

Can we get rid of the membership applications after the students graduate?
You do not need to keep CSF applications for students that have graduated.