Jude Welling (on right) presents the Faculty Award to Ana Adair. Photo by Bonnie Hobbs.
During Mountain View’s spring commencement last week, three graduating seniors were honored with special awards from the faculty. They were recognized not just for their academic accomplishments, but also for their personal character.
CITIZENSHIP AWARD
Counselor Mike Todd presented the Citizenship Award to Jose Aleman. “At Mountain View, it’s our goal that all students and staff be respectful and caring of one another,” said Todd. “The Citizenship Award is given to those students who have helped to build a positive school community through their example and their work with others.”
“In his time at Mountain View, Jose has demonstrated a unique combination of both determination and caring for others,” he said. “When I first met Jose, he told me he would graduate this June, even though it looked mathematically impossible at the time. He came to school every day with a huge smile on his face and a strong work ethic.”
Todd said Aleman’s English teacher said the young man “set an example of positive attitude, help, friendliness and encouragement for all of the other students” in his class. And as Aleman’s counselor, Todd said he was always in his office, not to talk about himself, but to support his friends and classmates by bringing them there to ask questions.
“Jose also personally brought several students to either enroll at Mountain View or to at least meet with a counselor [to obtain] more information,” said Todd. “He is truly a great ambassador for our school. Jose will be working for the next year and plans on starting school at NVCC after that. I know he won’t give up on his education.”
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Joel Calix received the Personal Achievement Award from Math Department chair Richard Chinn. “Many students attending school at Mountain View wrestle with additional responsibilities of family, job and other adult commitments,” he said. “[This] award recognizes those students who have succeeded academically and personally, despite great pressures and obstacles.”
Chinn said Calix has already been through many obstacles in life that “would break most people’s spirits and will. Rather than surrender, Joel used these experiences to strengthen and motivate himself to do what is best for him and his future.” Although Calix came to a new country alone, was in an unfamiliar school and had to learn new things in a language he didn’t speak, he never gave up.
“He created his own family by connecting with classmates and teachers, he worked hard to learn [English] and he kept pushing himself in all his classes to be successful,” said Chinn. “He found the strength to break through these barriers while holding down a fulltime job and providing financial support to his family in Honduras.”
“Joel is now ready to pursue a career in information technology,” continued Chinn. “And he has the work ethic, positive attitude and perseverance to achieve whatever personal goals he sets his sights on. In one of his scholarship essays, Joel wrote, ‘Nothing is impossible when your potential is bigger than your struggle.’ We cannot wait to see where his potential takes him in the future.”
FACULTY AWARD
Math teacher Jude Welling presented the Faculty Award to Ana Adair. Recipients have gained the faculty’s respect and admiration by exemplifying the spirit of the school’s motto, “Family, Love, Respect,” while earning a 3.4 GPA or higher.
“Ana has spent her life as a caregiver for herself and for her parents,” said Welling. “After her mother died when she was only a child, Ana helped run her home and [later] kept vigil by her father’s side during his final days. And without her grandparents, who helped her transition to a new community, she wouldn’t have ended up at Mountain View.”
Here, said Welling, “We met a scrappy, spunky, artistic girl not afraid to show tough love to her classmates. She contributed not only to her own success, but to that of other students, whether by lending a tender shoulder or by barking, ‘Get out of bed, I’m picking you up for school in 10 minutes.’ Ana, you’re kind, hard-working and dedicated to your dreams and will let nothing stand in your way.”
Welling said Adair will make an “excellent tattoo artist, not just because of your outstanding talent, but also because you understand you’re making more than just art. You’re helping your clients memorialize loved ones, mark turning points in their lives and permanently change what they see in the mirror. All that takes a heart of service and commitment.” Saying the faculty realizes how much Adair had to overcome to reach graduation, Welling told her, “We’re so proud of you and we’re blessed that you’re part of the Mountain View family.”