Congrats to our Rising Stars of the Year

In September, 2022 the Carlsbad Chamber launched its fourth annual Rising Star of the Month program to honor local area high school seniors for demonstrating character, integrity, love of learning, involvement in school and community activities and the ability to overcome challenging life circumstances without compromising their education.  This year we honored 33 high school seniors from seven different high schools here in Carlsbad.  

The students who are honored each month are selected by the high schools themselves. At the end of the school year, those students who were honored throughout the year as Rising Stars of the Month, are then eligible to apply for the Rising Star of the YEAR scholarship.  This year the Carlsbad Chamber was able to honor ten exceptional students. They were all recognized for making a difference in their home, school and community.  Each of the ten Rising Stars of the Year were acknowledged in May with a $1,500 scholarship. A short description about each student is listed here to introduce them to you.  

Ava Grosely (Carlsbad High School) – Ava is Senior Class President of Carlsbad High School. She has overcome a very challenging and abusive upbringing to make a huge impact at Carlsbad High. In the fall she will be attending USC as an English Major with aspirations of possibly being a lawyer.

Carleigh Lyon (Carlsbad High School) – Carleigh is a legally deaf teenager who has refused to let her challenges stop her.  Despite her challenges she’s a major contributor to Best Buddies at Carlsbad High and she helped form a Kindness Club. Carleigh will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in Hospitality & Tourism Management. 

Curt White (Carlsbad High School) – Curt is a child cancer survivor.  He was the ASB President this year who uses his personal time to build homes in Mexico and provide support for kids on the oncology ward. In the fall Curt will attend Notre Dame with a dual major in Computer Science and Finance.

Shane Baum (La Costa Canyon High School) – Shane was ASB Co-President at La Costa Canyon this year. He used his voice to both help fight gun violence in schools and focus on inclusivity. Next year Shane will attend the University of Michigan and study Political Science on a Pre-Law track. He hopes to be a Civil Rights Attorney.

Madison Desjardins (La Costa Canyon High School) – Madison spent her senior year as the face of La Costa Canyon as she was the lead anchor for Maverick Nation TV. During her personal time, she started her own nonprofit called Seeds of Love to help refugee children. Madison will attend Texas Christian University in the fall and majoring in Business Finance & Real Estate.

Drea McIver-Fiorica (La Costa Canyon High School) – During her senior year, Drea served as the President of PALS Club (Peer Assistant Listeners). Their mission is to improve LCC’s campus culture through empathy, education, & conversation. Next year Drea will attend Cal. State Long Beach majoring in Political Science with a focus on Law.

Reilly Goueth (Sage Creek High School) – Reilly’s family immigrated from Cameroon. Reilly spent her senior year playing volleyball, participating in Sage Creek’s PAL’s Club, and serving as a bilingual tutor for fellow students. Reilly will continue her volleyball career at New York University in the fall.  She will be studying Applied Math and plans to work with kids in the future.

Diana Salazar (Sage Creek High School) – Diana used her positive energy and zeal to serve as President of the GSA Club (Gay-Straight Alliance). During her free time she volunteers for Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation and Kids for Peace. Diana will be the first in her family to ever attend college as she is enrolled in the Pratt Institute where she will major in Architecture. 

Hope Hansen (Pacific Ridge School) – Hope became a transformational leader at Pacific Ridge as she overcame significant challenges in her family of origin to become a leader in the Anti-Racist Group on campus and AIM Edu, a mental health awareness group. She also led a movement to have therapy dogs on campus. In the fall Hope will attend Scripps College with a focus on Environmental Analysis. 

Louisa Cliff (Carlsbad Seaside Academy) – Louisa overcame significant health challenges throughout her life.  This has led her to live a life of gratitude and generosity. She plans to continue this focus as she attends Wheaton College in the fall as a Nursing major. She plans to ultimately work as a Pediatric Nurse. 

Congratulations to all our Rising Stars of the Year.  We look forward to seeing your star shine brightly in the future and we hope you bring your light back to Carlsbad and San Diego North County.

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