The Valley Catholic June 20, 2017 | Page 19

tvc . dsj . org | June 20 , 2017 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 19 Congratulations to the Saint Francis Class of 2017
Saint Francis High School is immensely proud of its Class of 2017 . By all measures , these seniors were incredibly successful . There were :
• 246 seniors who graduated with honors , earning a 3.5 GPA or higher
• 172 members of the National Honor Society
• 98 lifetime members of the California Scholarship Federation
• 118 seniors recognized by the National Merit Foundation
• 268 seniors who attended the Senior Retreat
• 35,662 hours of community service completed by the senior class
• 35 committed collegiate athletes
Principal Patricia Tennant commended the graduates , noting that the love and support they gave each other while at Saint Francis was a testimony to their greatest accomplishment : becoming Holy Cross Men and Women . Student Awards
Several seniors received recognition for their accomplishments during their four years . As the students with
From left : Gabriella Fondario , Curtis Reitmeir , Myka Hughes and Natalie Siejczuk .
the highest grades , Ryan Chandra was named class valedictorian and Heajune Lee was class salutatorian . Ryan served as a board member of the “ Lancer ” newspaper and chair of the Los Altos Youth Council and participated in Model UN . Heajune was active in the International Club , Stand Up Speak Up and Model UN , as well as the school ’ s chamber choir and string ensemble .
The Blessed Basil Moreau Man and Woman of the Year recipients are chosen by their peers for representing the commitment , leadership and spirit of the class of 2016 . Seniors selected Scott Spinal , known as “ Mr . Saint Francis ” as Man of the Year , and Emily Skahill , a top scholar-athlete who served on the student council , as Woman of the Year .
Andrew Romero received the Robert J . Urban Memorial Award , named after a former school administrator and is given to a student who loves learning , who has been an active and influential school leader and who believes in the power and responsibilities of global citizenship to make positive changes in both our school and world community . Andrew , a strong student , a member of the football and wrestling teams and a leader in Campus Ministry , is a model of the well-rounded Holy Cross man .
The President ’ s Award recognized the student who best reflects the spiritual , intellectual and social goals of the school ’ s mission . This year , the honor went to Mehak Chadha . Whether she was campaigning for local politicians or addressing water quality issues abroad , she lives out the Holy Cross value of serving the world .
At the Baccalaureate Mass , held the evening before graduation , Beau Kempis received the Brother Eamon Schaffer , C . S . C ., Service Award for his exemplary service to the school . Beau was an active Campus Student Ministry board member who served as a senior retreat leader and volunteered at liturgies . The award is named for a former librarian and educator who was dedicated to service .

Words of Wisdom

By Linda Tully Chancellor , Diocese of San Jose
Every year , the Chancery staff experiences mixed emotions as we bid farewell to our student interns from Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School and look forward to welcoming a new cohort in the fall .
Each student intern works a total of five days per month in our offices . From their first day here , we recognize that they will grow and change as they develop new skills , adapt to new environments and workstyles , and learn about our mission and culture of Evangelization through service . We know , too , that some will grow in faith and become active participants in their parishes – a unique and invaluable benefit not all employers can offer .
What we do not always expect is that our students will become our teachers . Thanks to them , many of us will be different by the end of the year . Their strong work ethic and eagerness to learn will energize and enrich us . Their curiosity and fresh insights into the world and how we relate to it will inspire us to work with renewed purpose and commitment .
This year , we proudly collaborated with six student staff members from Cristo Rey : freshmen Xiana López ( Institute for Leadership in Ministry ) and
Juan Sierra ( IT and Tribunal ); sophomores Noemi Bravo ( Human Resources , Finance , and Tribunal ) and Michelle Ruiz ( Department of Education ); and juniors Abel Cuevas ( Communications and “ The Valley Catholic ”) and Miguel López ( Missions ). They have accomplished much and left an indelible mark on the life of our church . Though we will miss them , we are grateful to have been part of their lives this year and congratulate them on the bright future that awaits them .
Advice on Life and Work
By Noemi Elizabeth Bravo
Every day people live through a day , and during that day they learn something new . Even if they ’ re doing the same thing every day , something is going to be different , and from that little different thing , something is going to change . They learn something , they grow , or they get an idea and contribute it to help people . The same thing happens to someone living different experiences every day . Life experiences change people and help them grow , and people experience things every day .
This resonates with my experience here at the Diocese , because every time I come to work , it ’ s a different experience . In these experiences , I learn something new . I learn how the filing works here ,
how to be an editor , and how to organize papers in the correct order . From that , I grow as an employee . I am able to do these things quicker and better because I have learned how to do them . I am able to grow from my mistakes by working on new ways to stay focused and to catch my mistakes so that I can fix them . With this , I contribute to the Diocese by working and helping in any way I can .
It ’ s important to understand that you will make mistakes . Those mistakes are probably not the end of the world , and instead of mourning and thinking that you are not a good employee , you should focus on working or fixing those mistakes . Another thing : as a student worker , you should also ask for help if you need it instead of trying to do it by yourself . And it ’ s important to have fun , because it ’ s also supposed to be a little fun .
On Work and Finding Your Passion
By Juan J . Sierra
This year , I am proud to have realized how important other fields of work are . They all play their own role in contributing to bettering the lives of people . They all require their own set of skills .
That helped me realize how important and versatile some skills could be . For example , being good with people
can help you be more welcoming and helpful . I am passionate about math and science . Since I was little , those two subjects have come naturally to me . I want to go into the field of engineering . I like to create things with my hands . That passion stems from the time I spent playing with puzzles and ( Lego ) Bionicles . I would like to find a medium where I can combine computers and engineering .
My passion for engineering is intensified by the fact that I would be positively affecting people ’ s lives . The environment is being negatively affected by the waste we put into it . I would like to find effective ways to use resources on a large scale to help impoverished countries .
The advice I would give a student starting the Cristo Rey Work Study Program is to pay close attention to the significance of their work . I would tell the student to also pay attention to the importance of their co-workers ’ work . I would tell them to analyze what skills they see their co-workers using . I would tell them to be open-minded and analyze what they enjoy doing the most at work .
Finally , I would tell them to build connections with their co-workers and supervisor . It will help them get ideas and realize things about themselves . It also helps to have friends from powerful and influential companies .