Carlos Rico: Carlos has gained a lot of personal growth and strengthening of his passions during his years at La Salle. “Football played a major role in this growth. Before my freshman year I never played football. I went into it ‘blind,’ but the time I spent working on plays, enduring practice, and most of all being a part of something bigger than myself is an experience that I still feel to this day. The lessons learned and the memories made are major building blocks for who I am today and what I pursue in the future,” says Carlos. As a member of CSF, NHS, and Hispanic Honors Society, Carlos will miss just how welcoming the environment is at La Salle. “I always felt I could be myself and go to any teacher or coach for help. They cared about me and my goals.” During his junior year, Carlos had the privilege to represent La Salle at the American Legion’s Boys State, a well respected and very selective educational program of government instruction for U.S.
high school juniors. “A number of notable people have been a part of Boys State, including Michael Jordan and Bill Clinton and I was fortunate enough to be nominated to participate in an intense interview process and was blessed to be chosen to represent La Salle. I prepared for my trip to Sacramento State with high ambitions of becoming the Governor of Boys State, the highest leadership position at the camp. Although I never became the Governor, my mock city of Mills wrote numerous bills that passed into law and engaged in different court cases, one of which was held in the Superior Court of Sacramento. Carlos is attending Fordham University and plans on studying Political Science. “That whole experience at the American Legion’s Boys State really cemented my passion for politics, and was a turning point in my decision to study Political Science in college.”
Jewelyn Pickett: La Salle inspired Jewelyn to commit to herself just as much as she commits to others. “Through service I was able to learn how to care for others, and when I would become overwhelmed, the La Salle community returned that same commitment of care in ways that I cannot begin to describe. La Salle has taught me to be there for others in times of need. People rely on me to be there for stability,” says Jewelyn. “I believe that it is important to provide service to others because it helps create relationships that could be beneficial to many people down the road, whether or not it is directly connected to you.” Jewelyn will always remember how supportive the faculty and staff were at La Salle, and would encourage current students to take advantage of
the support the Lancer community provides from the very beginning. Jewelyn believes she is an approachable, reliable, and loyal person who has spent much of her life trying to understand other people and find ways to help them in a manner that will truly benefit them. She would like to continue to focus on bettering her understanding of other people, and eventually assist them through difficulties in their lives. She is attending the University of Puget Sound and plans on majoring in Psychology. “I chose this area of study because of my fascination of people and how they make decisions and why.”
Phillip Krings: Phillip Krings is a member of the Senior Senate, President of the Science National Honors Society, and has maintained over a 4.0 GPA for four years. He recieved Excellence Awards in Mathematics, Computer Science, English and Science, and was awarded the Bob Thomas Memorial Scholarship for Math and Science as a junior. This is only a handful of the long list of accolades and achievements that Phillip has earned. But in his eyes Phillip is just getting started. “My ultimate goal is to be responsible for the functioning of effective technology across the world. I want to ensure there are minimal barriers to bringing the necessities of the modern age to every person,” says Phillip, who believes that La Salle made the importance of achieving this possibility very clear. “The combination of learning and mission makes such a goal both an ethical necessity and an actuality.”
Out of all of Phillip’s accomplishments, he is most proud of being a part of the Robotics Team in the VEX State Championship in 2016. “The tournament hosts the best VEX robotics teams in California. We had a great group of seniors and we all worked hard to qualify. The robot I drove, along with Izcalli Aguirre, recieved an Excellence Award, which is the highest honor issued at VEX events.” Phillip has gained a wider and deeper sense of the world, and sees the La Salle faculty and staff as more than simply teachers. “it’s a community that feels like family,” he says. Phillip is attending UCLA where he plans to study Mechanical Engineering. “I always imagined myself as an inventor. With growing experience in the robotics lab and with applicable materials, I can venturecloser to engineering and inventing something great.”
Angelo Leroi: Angelo’s passion is music and can’t imagine his life without it. “It is something I think about all day and it engulfs every part of my life. I love it more than anything else,” says Angelo. Having received Excellence Awards in Jazz Band and Music Theory, Angelo will always remember his proudest accomplishment at La Salle, and that was putting together his own band. “We would perform shows at lunch in the amphitheatre and Dining Hall. The first show I did was sophomore year and I was the first one during the time that I was at La Salle to do it. Later on, other bands would perform during lunch, but it was cool for me to see that I had opened up the door for those other students.” Angelo realized he wanted to pursue a career in music in 2015 when he attended the Berklee Five Week Summer Program
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at the Berklee College of Music. “At the end of the five weeks, I played a concert with the ensemble I worked with during the summer program. I love being around other young musicians. My focus is to learn more about myself and to translate my thoughts and feelings into music that feels the most honest to me.” Angelo is attending the Berklee College of Music where he is studying Professional Music, but he will never forget the staff and faculty at La Salle. “They cared for the students. Almost every teacher I had, I felt safe in their presence and I felt I could come to them with any academic or personal issue. My ultimate career goal is to be a Grammy winning recording artist and producer. La Salle helped me realize this goal by allowing me to perform at shows and encourage me to pursue my passion.”