Noah Bell
Max Rosenberg
Theme Editors
Mira Costa held the annual All Awards Assembly in the auditorium on May 24, during which the school awarded over 90 students and three teachers for their various academic, artistic and athletic achievements throughout the school year.
The department heads chose the department award winners, and the teachers selected the Student of the Year, Audrey Phan, from a list of top-performing students.
“It’s good for all of us to recognize and acknowledge people who go over and above,” Costa Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter said. “[The assembly] went well.”
The assembly started off by recognizing students for academic achievements. These awards included recognition of Summa Cum Laude students, National Merit Scholarship finalists, Charlaine Deatherage recipients, University and Book awards, University of Rochester awards, California Scholarship Federation recipients and National Honors Society members.
“I think it is important for all of us to be able to congratulate someone on a job well done. Not everyone has that kind of drive, nor should they,” Hofreiter said. “We all have different talents, and our job in life is to discover our talents and develop them.”
The department heads announced the students that won awards for the 12 corresponding award categories. Each department awarded up to 11 nominees for their accomplishments.
“We need to have good ways of celebrating student success, and we have a lot of kids here that have a lot of success,” Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “[The assembly] is one piece of the things we do to celebrate student success.”
Photos: A look from inside the All Awards Assembly
In common with the assembly in past years, a portion included the announcement of the Student of the Year award along with a video depicting her achievements. Chosen from a class of 632 seniors, Audrey Phan displayed her dedication to being successful in a range of fields over the past four years at Mira Costa.
“I was very surprised when I saw that I had won. My parents hid it so well, and I was also extremely thankful and honored that I had been chosen,” Phan said. “There are so many other incredible people at Costa, so I was really touched that teachers had thought of me.”
Costa teachers chose the Student of the Year from a list of the seniors whose grade point averages are within the top five percent of their class. Every teacher votes for three, and the top five become the finalists, which included Emily Chase, Ronald Clinton, Phan, Kevin Pinkerton and Tooba Wasi. Finally, each department then votes on one finalist, narrowing down the award to one candidate.
“I was shocked when my dad’s voice came through the speakers and an ugly baby picture of me showed up,” Phan said. “I think my passion for learning, industriousness, and curiosity helped me win the award. I always asked too many questions in class, so I think teachers appreciated my drive to learn.”
Phan’s parents created a video, which Dale presented at the assembly before announcing her name. The video highlighted Phan’s accomplishments both in and outside of Costa. She was involved in Together We Tutor, through which she has helped elementary students with English. She also has fed the homeless with Lend A Hand Club and was on the beach volleyball team for three years. Also, Phan has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten and received the Gold Award, the Girl Scout’s highest honor, after helping orphans in Vietnam.
“I think [the Student of the Year] is an important award because it inspires younger students to achieve their own greatness,” Phan said. “I remember being a sophomore and being absolutely floored by the Student of The Year, and even though I didn’t think I would ever win the award, the whole presentation inspired me to work harder and be a better student.”
In addition to extracurriculars, Phan succeeded academically throughout her high school career. She enjoyed Advanced Placement Europe and History with Greg Kloes AP Bio with Jessica Bledsoe and English with William Brown, she said. One of her greatest high school achievements was earning an A in AP Euro, Phan said.
“I’m really lucky because I pretty much enjoyed all of my classes at Costa,” Phan said. “My teachers played such a large role in my development at Costa, and I am so grateful to have had such amazing teachers.”
Phan plans to attend University of California, Berkeley in the fall. According to Phan, although she is unsure of her college major, she is interested in going to medical school but wants to keep her options open.
“One thing that I will take with me throughout life that I learned at Costa is to do what you’re passionate about,” Phan said, “because seeing my teachers happy and passionate about their lives makes me want to do the same.”
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