Student of the Year
By Katie Anderson
Editor-in-Chief
On May 27, Mira Costa’s auditorium buzzed as students, families, and faculty gathered for the annual All Awards Ceremony, highlighting the many accomplishments of students throughout the community.
Among the many awards presented to hardworking students, the prestigious Student of the Year Award, presented to Elizabeth Witherall, a dedicated Mustang who will attend Duke University in the fall.
“The all awards ceremony is always an exciting way to celebrate everyone’s achievements and hard work in their classes.” Witherall said. “It’s a proud moment to walk across the stage with classmates and a supportive experience to applaud for each other.”
Witherall’s moment of recognition came as a grateful surprise. As she made her way off of the stage after the nominees for Student of the Year were announced, her coach, coach Cash, delivered the news to her on the speakers. She couldn’t help but laugh at the crowd’s reactions as they tried to figure out who it was.
“I was honestly shocked because I know all of the finalists are amazing people and I remember being very impressed by the past students as well.” Witherall shared.
As she prepares for her future, Witherall’s ambition stretches far beyond the classroom. She plans to major in a STEM-related field at Duke, and she hopes to pursue sustainability and global ocean conservation in the future. Overall, Witherall has not only made an impact on her Costa community, but also hopes to make a difference for the world’s oceans as well.
“I was so proud to see Lizzie win student of the year.” Senior Charlotte Levy said. “It’s rare you see someone so talented dedicate themselves to bettering their community, but Lizzie does this naturally everyday.”
Other Awards
Science
AP Biology: Ava Larson
Marine Biology: Kevin O’Connor
APES: Miles Harding, Hunter Plexico
Biotech: Veronica Escopete
Physiology: Isaac Faynsod
Honors Earth: Mari MacArthur
AP Chemistry: Eric Albelda, Samantha Allen, Ava Crowley
Astrophysics: Maya Manasfi
AP Physics: Noah Weiss
Forensics: Michael Butler
English
Eric Albelda, Sophia de Virgilio, Diego Barrios, Sadie Jun, Tessa Belfor, Sandra Kelly, Emery de Virgilio, Chloe Kim, Cory Kluthe
World Language
ASL: Caroline Ceja, Adler Vaughan
Mandarin: Madison Lentz
French: Nika Kamachee
Spanish: Eisa Bhatti, Isaac Herrera, Rachel Khoddam
Arts
Band: Colin Mukai, Mareen Shah
Choir: Eric Chu, Jaxon Stroyke
Drama: Charlie Baboolal, Maggie Gerken, Aaron Henschel
Orchestra: Hunter Plexico, Noah Weiss
Technical Theater: Mischka Ghaffar, Jia Hauck
Visual Arts: Jane Brownsen, Giorgia Dionisio
Graphic Design: Liam Fielding
National Art Honor Society: Sadie Lee
Ceramics: Natalie Lertsmitivanta
3-D Fabrication: Shane Sheth
Math
Lauren Crotty, Tate Dabney, Ava Gonosey, Alexis Hara, Cameron Hughes, Jack Kjar, Katherine Kligys, Charlotte Levy, Maya Manasfi, Trevor Olson
Social Science
Diversity Studies: Eva Asiddao
AP Euro: Zoe Bendell, Weston Hory
World History: Trey Claypoole
APUSH: Colin Freelin, Thomas Maloney
AP Microeconomics: Hayden Lee
AP GOV: Aaron Henschel
AP Psych: Sandra Kelly, Maya Manasfi
MUN: Hudson Sagadevan
AP HUG: Jack Swenson
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