Scholarship Awards Breakfast: Sage Hill
Samir Durrani
GPA: 4.6
School Activities/Clubs: co-founder of the Organic Educational Center, Honor Committee, Sage Advocates of Multicultural Education, Environmental Club president, rowing team, golf team, Mock Trial captain, jazz band string bassist, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Sciences, AP Calculus BC, AP Government, AP English, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Computer Science
Community: Savannah’s Organic Ranch
Hobbies/Interests: gardening, “Star Wars, “ the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Elton John
College Plans: Next Harvard University for environmental science and public policy
Scholarships: N/A
Sage Hill Experience: Samir has appreciated the support of peers, faculty and parents through all of his pursuits throughout high school. One incredible moment that he cherishes is a concert at his school featuring Samir’s physics teacher. This teacher taught Samir for three years, and rocked the stage with his Beatles cover band. The senior class joined hands as they circled the stage and sang along to “Come Together.” The whole experience summed up what it really means to be at Sage Hill School, to exist in an environment completely free of judgment, an environment where you are encouraged to be who you are, always.
*
Ryan Thomas Lee
GPA: 4.45
School Activities/Clubs: California Junior Classical League (CJCL) State Convention president and vice president, varsity tennis, Dance III, scientific research on population dynamics of red-tide dinoflagellates, AP European History, AP Calculus AB, AP Government, AP U.S. History, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP Biology
Community: German Shepard Rescue of Orange County, St. Joseph’s Hospital volunteer
Awards/Honors: AP Scholar, National Merit Commended Student, CIF-SS Division 3 Champion Tennis
Hobbies/Interests: watching and taking note of TED Talks, sketching, government policy, ping pong
College Plans: Stanford University
Scholarships: N/A
Sage Hill Experience: Planning and executing the CJCL State Convention for 1,300 people at my school and seeing the happiness that the convention brought to the people who attended.
*
Jenna Shapiro
GPA: 4.42
School activities/clubs: editor-in-chief of the Bolt and Culture Couture, Charity:Water, Hurley H20, community-wide charity art show, United Synagogue Youth executive vice president, Orange County Teens Advocating for Israel founding member, collected 1,400 signatures from Orange County students for a petition for continued foreign aid to Israel and lobbied Congress, girls’ lacrosse varsity two-year captain, Coach’s Award 2012, Sage Hill Athlete of the Week twice, peer counselor, dance team, AP English Literature and Composition, AP European History, AP United States History, AP Art History, AP Calculus AB, AP Environmental Science, AP French Language and Culture
Community: Send-A-Friend founder, Jewish Federation, Girls Inc. teacher and homework helper, Featured Teacher 2011, Hebrew school teacher assistant, El Sol Elementary School teacher assistant
Awards/Honors: Donna Brace Ogilvie Poetry Award, first place, Girls State finalist, National Merit Commended Student, AP Scholar, High Honor Roll, Strategic Planning Committee, published writer, Orange County Register intern
Hobbies/Interests: writing, journeying, fashion design, sewing, exploring ethnic communities in Southern California, dance, hiking, skiing, biking, kayaking, camping, archaeology
College Plans: Stanford University
Scholarships: Donna Brace Ogilvie Poetry Award, United Synagogue Youth scholarships to attend USY International Convention and L.E.A.D. program
Sage Hill Experience: When I was 9 years old, I received my first composition book. Somewhere in between my first journal entries about the latest crush to today’s more mature daily accounts, philosophies and aspirations, I discovered my complete love for the written word. At Girls Inc. of Orange County over the past two years, I have created and taught writing and poetry classes to help the next generation of girls find their own voice in the world at a very young age. I knew that writing might be the outlet these girls, many of whom deal with dark family lives or financial barriers in the Costa Mesa area, needed to explore their emotions or just safely gab about Selena Gomez. Even if some are not as enamored with writing as I am, writing gives them communication skills that are vital for their confidence, academic success, and future careers. I have found my work at Girls Inc. to be particularly memorable because I feel I have been able to make at least a small difference in helping girls to become “Strong, Smart and Bold,” as the Girls Inc. slogan goes.