Mark A. Easter
On May 2, I had the privilege of hosting the 2024 Good Citizenship Awards in Department 1 of the Riverside County Historic Courthouse, co-sponsored by the RCBA and the Riverside County Superior Court. We presented Good Citizenship Awards to students from 28 high schools from all across the County. The students were greeted by Judge Jacqueline Jackson, Judge O.G. Magno, and Commissioner Sharunne Foster. Awards were given out by representatives from the offices of U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert, State Senator Richard Roth, and Assembly members Sabrina Cervantes, Bill Essayli, and Greg Wallis. All of the award-winning students are listed below. Here are just a few examples of these outstanding students.
Jesus has committed himself to learning and successfully tackled the challenge of achieving literacy in English. Every day after school, he took part in an American literature reading and writing program lead by Riverside County lawyer Jim Parkinson. Jesus increased his reading level by five grades in just one year. Several years ago, Jesus had very little chance of graduating from a traditional high school. Now, he is flourishing at Amistad. He has joined the ASB, is the voice in school announcements, a friendly face working in the student store, and a welcoming host in Amistad's new student orientation program. Amistad is very lucky to have Jesus "on their ship."
Weston has been on La Quinta's mock trial team for three years, competing as both a witness and as an attorney, and received a Blue-Ribbon Award nomination each year. Weston has served as a "most trusted and reliable" intern for Congressman Raul Ruiz for the last two years. As part of La Quinta's International Baccalaureate (IB) program, Weston has committed to taking more difficult courses. Weston's math teacher, Nathaniel White, is looking forward to watching as Weston ventures out into the world, because "people like him are what this world truly needs the most."
Faith maintains a 4.2 GPA as a junior at Vista Del Lago. In addition to academics, Faith is vice president of the Debate Club, coordinates social media for the high school's National Honor Society, and is the Student Digital Media Ambassador for the Moreno Valley Unified School District. In addition, Faith served as the manager of the Girl's Volleyball Team and was a camp guide for 7th graders attending the Personal Rotary Youth Development Experience at Thousand Pines Christian Camp. It sounds like the Moreno Valley community certainly has a rising star in Faith!
Principal Sarit Saig describes Brandon as "extraordinary." And rightfully so! Brandon volunteers at Desert Spring Church every week, and he serves as a camp counselor for his church at Forest Home. Brandon has also done humanitarian work in both Puerto Rico and Mexico, helping repair housing for people with financial needs and orphanages. But Brandon also appears to be on his way to a career in the legal field. He interned at Riverside Legal Aid as a freshman, and now he interns for J. Doling Law. Brandon has been on the Palm Desert mock trial team for three years, this past year helping Palm Desert reach the prestigious Elite Eight. Keep it up Brandon!
"Vola" recently moved to the United States from Australia. Because many of her credits did not transfer, she was placed at Nueva Vista Continuation High School. Nevertheless, Vola completed all of her high school graduation requirements by the end of her junior year, and will graduate as valedictorian. Vola served as student board representative to the Jurupa Unified School District. Vola also represented NVHS at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Camp. She is an active member of NVHS' Yearbook Club, and voluntarily assists NVHS' cafeteria manager. Vola also reads to kindergartners at Sunnyslope Elementary, and volunteers at her church. One of her teachers said that if "Vola were running for President, she would have my vote!" Make that two of us.
| High School Name | Student Name |
|---|---|
| Amistad | Jesus Perales |
| Beaumont | Orlando Salas |
| Beaumont Middle College | Amy Meneses |
| Centennial | Berenice Nieto |
| 21st Century Learning Institute | Maria Davila |
| Desert Hot Springs | Daniel Marquez |
| Glen View | Angelo Chacon |
| Great Oak | Nya Bromley |
| Indio | Ignacio Velarde |
| La Quinta | Weston Shook |
| La Sierra | Audrina Aguilar Laroque |
| Liberty | Morgyn Young |
| March Mountain | Cristian Chavez |
| Martin Luther King | Catalina McCarron |
| Murrieta Valley | Abel Hernandez-Perry |
| Norte Vista | Destiny Curiel |
| Notre Dam | Natasha Singh |
| Nueva Vista | Fietovola Lasike |
| Orange Grove | Brody Caponetto |
| Palm Desert | Brandon Yoo |
| Palo Verde Valley | Carlos Milke |
| Poly | Cadence Esterling |
| Ramona | Avree Pieters |
| Rancho Verde | Joy Akinbayode |
| Shadow Hills | Charlotte Coulter |
| Vista del Lago | Faith Bustos |
| West Valley | Caileah Delin Villanueva |
| Woodcrest Christian | Tyler Sandoval |
Have a great month of June—this month we see graduations, the U.S. Open, Father's Day, Juneteenth…and somebody turns 6-0. Yikes. But hey, take a moment sometime this month to complement or bless somebody you know who has been a great father. They’ll appreciate it.
Mark A. Easter is the president of the RCBA, a partner at Best Best & Krieger LLC, and has been residing and practicing law in Riverside since 1989.
