Six high school seniors were presented Education Awards by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition at a ceremony held Jan. 20 to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday.
This year’s awards recipients are:
• Alexander Hamilton High School senior Joseph Burney was presented the Sue Schuerman and Sally Mendelsohn Award. Joseph’s principal interests are politics and philosophy, which he has read, researched, argued, and written about most. Joseph also finds joy in various genres of music. He has played the violin since the 6th grade and is a member of his school’s orchestra. At school, he's taken on leadership roles in the orchestra, including as 1st violin and concertmaster. He has also served as President of the Black Student Union and Student Deserves Advocacy group. Joseph plans to major in philosophy at a 4-year college/university and eventually matriculate to law school for a career as an attorney, a professor, or a legal scholar, to pursue his fight for advocacy and activism.
• New West Charter Plus School senior Mina Loy Checel received a Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls Award. This award was supported by a generous donation from the Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls. Mina is a member of the cross-country running team, and a teaching assistant for her sophomore World Literature class. Her favorite subject is math, but she finds joy in writing. She is co-president of the Youth Buddhist Association at her temple and has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten. Mina works as a barista at Starbucks, where her favorite drink is a Matcha Latte. She also does CrossFit and is involved with Junior Lifeguards. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, swimming at the beach, and spending time with friends. Mina plans to continue all these activities and hopes to attend UC Santa Barbara or UC Berkeley.
• Grace Farris, a 17-year-old senior at El Segundo High School with a passion for helping people and creating a sense of community and inclusivity, received a Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls Award. This award was supported by a generous donation from the Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls. Grace has taken on leadership roles at her school as Spirit Commissioner, Choir Officer, Student Body Treasurer, and Varsity Cheer Captain. Grace is also Friendship Circle President for a club that combines the school’s special education students with typical students to allow everyone to feel included, valued, and part of an open, safe space. Her roles in helping others, fostering community, and understanding problems have led her to the decision to pursue politics in the future, to make a difference on a larger scale.
• Joshua Lesley, a 17-year-old senior at Santa Monica High School who values family and community, received the Lillie Bell Blakley Award. This award is given in honor of Lillie Bell Blakley, whose passion to “keep moving forward” is apparent in her family’s multigenerational commitment to education and service, which includes her son and former Mayor of Santa Monica Nathaniel Trives, as well as her granddaughter, Dr. Toni Trives, former chair of the SMC Modern Languages and Cultures Department. Joshua is involved in various school activities. He is Parliamentarian for the Black Student Union, which is also a community he is grateful to turn to during stressful times or just when he needs help. Joshua plays football and runs track as outlets for managing his stress. He has also served as the Track Team Captain. Outside of school, he is the vice president of the Youth Leadership Council at the Police Activities League. Joshua plans to attend Santa Monica College and major in finance. He then plans to transfer to UCLA or USC to pursue entrepreneurship.
• Ijeoma Oko — a 17-year-old senior at Alexander Hamilton High School who is better known as Tyler — was presented a Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls Award. This award was supported by a generous donation from the Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls. Tyler is involved in the Black Student Union (BSU), serving as Secretary; the United Black Student Unions of California (UBSUC), serving on the board as Sergeant at Arms; Dance Team, serving as Captain; Dance; and Senior Class. BSU helps to promote black excellence, and UBSUC’s goal is to improve and bring the system of BSU to every school in California. With dance being a huge part of her entire life, Tyler intends on going to a 4-year college, ideally eitherGrambling State University or UC Irvine, to double major in dance and psychology.
• Ananda Searcy — a senior student-athlete at Santa Monica High School — was presented a Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls Award. This award was supported by a generous donation from the Santa Monica/Westside Legacy Fund for Women and Girls. Ananda is all about empowerment and making a difference. She is the Treasurer of the Black Student Union, and serves as Treasurer for her city’s Our Girls Rock Young Women Empowerment Program. It is important to Ananda to uplift her peers and create spaces where they can all thrive. She is also heavily involved in sports. She managed her school’s football team and will be managing the basketball team. Ananda is really interested in sports psychology and clinical psychology. She dreams of playing professional flag football in college and beyond and is aiming for the 2028 Olympics. She has been accepted to Cottey College inNevada, Missouri, where she plans to blend her love for sports with her academic interests.
Each year, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition invites schools, churches, and youth groups to encourage their college freshmen and high school seniors to submit an essay, poem, or other creative work that exemplifies the “Six Principles of Nonviolence”in Dr. King’s Stride Toward Freedom. The awards are supported by endowments established in memory of local community activists and managed by the Santa Monica College Foundation.
More information about the Education Awards and details on how to help support the awards are available by calling the SMC Foundation at 310-434-4215.
