Congratulations to the winners of Next Step’s annual Super Teens contest!
We combed through hundreds of applications and became inspired by everything you guys have done. We read about teens raising money for all sorts of charities, volunteering for all sorts of causes, and just generally being super people. You should all be proud!
Writeups of all 86 winners of this year’s Super Teens contest can be found on the Next Step Web site. And to celebrate, we’ll be highlighting the winners here on the blog throughout March
Each region’s winners are also pictured on the cover of the March/April Next Step Magazine, which you can find for free at your high school guidance office.
Starting us off are some Super Teens from California!
—
Anna Sarangaya Casalme of St. Lucy Priory High School has a passion for science. “During my sophomore year, I decided I enjoyed my biology class immensely, but wished there were more science-related activities at my school,” she says. “After lots of Internet research, I discovered the Jisan Research Institute in Alhambra, where I currently enjoy conducting scientific research.” She has also participated in the Los Angeles County Science Fair and the Southern California Junior Academy Science Symposium and is a board member of the science club and captain of the science bowl team. She is involved in many other organizations and activities at school and has maintained a weighted 4.5 GPA. Her goal is to attend college and become an engineer in the fields of biology, chemistry or the environment. She is also interested in research-oriented dermatology and has considered becoming a reconstructive surgeon.
Luz Tur-Sinai Gozal of San Diego High School-School of International Studies says having lived in several countries and continents has granted her the luxury of increased cultural awareness. She is proficient in a number of languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French and Danish. She is also musically inclined, having mastered the violin, clarinet and vocal quality. Currently with a 4.0 GPA, she plans to pursue courses in law and criminal justice as well as learning about the entertainment business. She says, “My plan is to go for both, and to try and be successful in both the law and entertainment fields.”
“I strive to be extremely active within my school and community,” says Nicolette Gmoser-Daskalakis of Davis Senior High School. She loves journalism and also has a passion for the arts, fencing and community service. She is the news editor for her school’s newspaper and news director of the UC Davis radio station, where she writes, edits news briefs and stories to be aired, and also helps train the station’s reporters. She plays piano and enjoys composing her own songs. She is a straight-A student and currently takes four AP classes and one honors class. She hopes to pursue a career in the creative arts and attend college in the Bay area. She also hopes to be able to study abroad in Europe.
Lucia Huang of Poway High School is a straight-A student with a 4.2 GPA who loves the challenge of AP courses and honors classes. She is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Spanish and English. Her passion is art, and some of her painting has been showcased in the San Diego Union Tribune and the San Diego County Fair. She plays violin and piano, and she loves to sing. Lucia plans to graduate as the valedictorian of her school and will study neuroscience in college. She will attend graduate school and embark on a career in medicine. She plans to specialize in the treatment of cancers and rare disorders.
