Vol. 52, No.26
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
July 09, 2014
Special Section
Local Events
Entertainment
Sports
Summer Family Fun
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El Monte Honors Andrew Aguilar for his Success at Stanford University by Valerie Martinez El Monte
The El Monte City Council honored resident Andrew Aguilar at a recent Council meeting for his outstanding completion of two university degrees in four years – a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in history with a Middle East area focus (with honors) – from Stanford
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University. Aguilar recently was awarded the Robert M. Golden Medal for Excellence in the Humanities and Creative Arts –a prestigious award given to only 9 to10 standout Stanford students each year. “Andrew is a role model for our community and is a great example of what you can achieve if you are willing to work hard and stay focused,” said Councilwoman Norma Macias. “The whole City is so proud of his achievements and we can’t wait to see what he will accomplish next.” Aguilar was also selected for Phi Beta Kappa, given to the top 10 percent of the Stanford graduating class. As a student at Stanford,
Andrew was a research assistant for the Center for International Security and Cooperation studying the evolution of nuclear weapon policy. He also completed two internships with Google Inc., working in the Compensation and Engineering University programs. The South El Monte High School graduate was also active in community organizations while in Palo Alto, serving as the founding member and director of Internal Development for the Phoenix Scholars, an organization that oversees 135 mentors to provide lowincome, minority students with free college counseling services. He was also executive director and founder of
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the Division of Internal Review, an organization that helped appropriate funds for the Associated Students of Stanford University, social chair of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and an editorial board member for the Herodotus Journal. Andrew will be heading to Washington, D.C., in the fall to start a job with the
Advisory Board Company to work in the health technology and finance industry. “I want to thank my family for being so supportive of my academic pursuits,” Aguilar said. “I also couldn’t have done it without the amazing teachers I had throughout the years who encouraged me to stay curious and follow my dreams.”
South El Monte High Students Fare Well in First Economics Challenge
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by Anne Donofrio-Holter South El Monte
South El Monte High School economics students have fared well in their first Council for Economic Education (CEE) Economics Challenge. The More Gold Less Blue Club, the brainchild of instructor Gilbert Velasquez, is comprised of students interested in economic “insights and details that are so easily left out of the traditional curriculum.” Velasquez has always believed “that understanding investment and personal finance would improve anyone’s chances for success as they go out into the world in search of their gold.” “Several organizations sponsor student competitions that focus on investing, personal finance, and general economic understanding,” said Velasquez.
“I had envisioned a club that would meet afterschool throughout the year and learn, so that we could find success at the competitive level.” For the past several weeks, team members have been gearing up for the CEE competition. At the competition, teams of students answer rigorous questions on microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and current events. The CEE selects the top five teams in the advanced placement and general education categories. “Of the five schools competing from southern California in the general education category, South El Monte High School’s More Gold, Less Blue had two of the five top perform-
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ing teams,” said Velasquez. “It feels amazing to have the opportunity to go and participate because we worked so hard to cover everything,” said student Rosa Fuentes. “All our hard work has paid off and it feels great to know that we’re some of the top students.” “This is great news for such a relatively small and new program,” said Velas-
quez. “I am very excited.” “Although my team didn’t make it to the state championships, we were able to learn a lot more than the economic students that did not join our club,” said student Katia Teteltitla. “This experience was something that we saw as a great opportunity and we wouldn’t have had it without Mr. Velasquez.”