Omega Nu awards scholarships to 21 students
Omega Nu Santa Cruz on May 24 awarded college scholarships to 21 students from Santa Cruz County schools during a Scholarship Reception at Harvey West Park Clubhouse in Santa Cruz.
The scholarships benefit high school seniors who will attend public California universities or colleges, and are based on both financial need and scholastic achievement. This year $103,600 was awarded to both new and renewal scholarships.
The 21 scholarships were awarded to Fabiola Fernandez Valdez, Juilanne Houser of Aptos High School; Brianna Pearson of Cabrillo Community College; Jaden Wierzchowicz of Cypress Charter High School; Ava Carney, Erin Krakowiak, Haley Jiang, Jackeline Barrientos, Javier Mojica Hernandez, Joel Carlos Sosa Udave, Neva Lunine of Harbor High School; Ibeth Avalos Coss, Sissi Chavez Garcia, Julian Kamoss, Bailey Manoff, Anabella Stevens of Santa Cruz High School; Anica Bresson, Narissa CarthyDundas, Caleb Gabrielson, Jadynne Swint of San Lorenzo Valley.
High School, and Karla Ruiz Vega of Soquel High School.
In addition, 20 renewal scholarships were also awarded for this upcoming academic year.
Omega Nu of Santa Cruz is an entirely volunteer group of more than 40 women that raise money to provide vocational and college scholarships, support to charities and community services, and grants to public elementary and middle school teachers for classroom materials. Omega Nu's 33rd annual Ducky Derby will be held at Harvey West Park in April.
Cavlan honored
Santa Cruz native and Soquel High alumna June Cavlan was awarded Best Undergraduate Jazz Vocalist in the 2022 Downbeat Magazine Student Awards.
Founded in 1976 by Downbeat Magazine, the Downbeat Student Awards are considered among the most prestigious awards in jazz education.
Cavlan is a vocalist, arranger and teacher who was earned a presidential scholarship to study jazz vocal performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Under the direction of Kate Reid, Cavlan is pursuing a music degree focused on performance, composition, arranging and improvisation.
Cavlan will be making her debut this summer as a head
liner at Club Deluxe in San Francisco and The Sound Room in Oakland. The local performances will be followed by a short tour playing several jazz spots throughout Texas.
Education
The following local residents were honored for academic achievement:
• Carly Hurvitz, of Santa Cruz, earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise science during commencement ceremonies in May at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. Hurvitz was among the 3,332 students earning degrees.
• Tsultrim Mendenhall, of Santa Cruz, earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Mendenhall was among more than
1,450 students who received degrees.
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