2008 Fleischmann Award Recipients Announced
Inspiring the next generation’s philanthropic footprint.
Our scholars make a difference!
The Foundation rewards students who demonstrate a strong record of community service while doing well in their studies. Fleischmann awards were given to 23 young people who maintained a GPA of 3.5 and over and found time to give back to the community.
In addition to cash awards, Fleischmann winners were given $500 to grant to the nonprofit of their choice.
Claire Woodard
 | Claire received the highest recognition among Fleischmann Award winners, the Spaulding Award, for her outstanding leadership, initiative and compassion for the world around her, especially the African nation of Uganda. She organized and led the first Santa Barbara GuluWalk to raise more than $5,000 for the children of northern Uganda. She also led fundraising efforts for ‘Northern Uganda Awareness Week,’ and coordinated the signing of petitions, which were sent to President Bush and UN Secretary-General Kofi Anann. Claire has also volunteered at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Community Environmental Council and Arts at Laguna. Claire has earned a 4.60 GPA at San Marcos High School. Her future plans include becoming head of an NGO in Africa after studying Economics at Stanford University. |
Alejandra Ceja
 | Ranking number one at Santa Maria High School, with a GPA of 4.30, Alejandra is an outstanding young woman. She serves as President of the Key Club, Future Business Leaders of America and the California Scholarship Federation. Her community service started at an early age by tutoring students younger than herself. It continues today with her tutoring of AVID students at her school. She is also actively involved in a youth ministry. She is well respected by staff members and her peers. Alejandra is planning to study Sociology at Stanford University in the fall. | Patrick Cruden
 | As a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America for the past nine years Patrick, a senior at St. Joseph High School, has contributed much to his community. He has collected cold weather clothing and food for those in need, worked alongside Toys for Tots and, as an Eagle Scout, volunteers his time to help others who wish to achieve the Eagle Scout rank. Patrick has seen cancer touch those that he loves and as a result he has served during the Relay for Life event, the Collect-A-Million Day, Hats for Hope and Cruzin’ for Life. He spends much of his summers at Marian Medical Center volunteering in various departments. He is considering a career in the healthcare industry and plans to major in Biological Sciences at UC Davis. | Alyson Fargher
No photo available | Alyson has been a committed Girl Scout for the past 10 years and has achieved the highest recognition for dedication and service – the Gold Award. In her role as a Girl Scout, she has steadfastly given back to her community by creating gift baskets for the Battered Women’s Shelter, sending thank you letters and cookies to our troops overseas, and making Easter bags for the children at the Transition House. The project she is most proud of was the remodel of the Transition House. Along with others, she helped build furniture, installed hardwood flooring, repainted and had new couches donated from local businesses. After graduating from Ernest Righetti High School in June 2008, Alyson plans to study Journalism at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. |
Alexy Angeles
 | Alexy aspires to earn a Ph.D., become a social worker and help juveniles and foster children. Her first steps in serving the community were with an afterschool program that she had attended in her younger years. Working as a tutor, Alexy enjoyed helping her pupils with their homework. She has also volunteered for the Cuyama Valley Recreational District, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and the Cuyama Valley Unified School District. Alexy will graduate from Cuyama Valley High School in June and plans to enroll at Allan Hancock College this fall. | Dalida Arakelian
No photo available | Dalida is a senior at Santa Barbara High School who has earned an impressive 4.48 GPA. Her academic ambitions are matched by the spirit of community service that she has embodied since elementary school. Beginning with her involvement with the Girl Scouts, Dalida started serving the community by making care packages and volunteering at the Unity Shoppe. Always looking to make an impact, Dalida decided to pursue the Girl Scout Gold Award, which requires the candidate to create their own service project. Her other involvements include helping as a lab assistant, serving food to the homeless, and volunteering as a counselor for both the YMCA and for her church’s camps. She hopes to enter Stanford University this fall and begin work on a degree in Business. | Trevor Dow
 | Beginning at age 12, Trevor has committed himself to serving others and began his journey by providing childcare during the summer at the local YMCA. His involvement continued throughout his high school years at Dos Pueblos High School. He presently has accumulated more community service hours than any of the other seniors in his class. Trevor is an avid theatre student and is currently the President of the school’s theatre department. The troupe performs at local elementary and junior high school students. He has also volunteered at the Santa Barbara Jazz Dance Academy, Arts Alive!, Girls Inc., and Isla Vista Youth Projects. This fall will find Trevor enrolled at UC Irvine and pursuing a degree in Theatre Arts. | Esther Flores
No photo available | An ambitious and mature young woman, Esther has a passion for social justice, and she has volunteered with Just Communities; Anti-Defamation League; Students Promoting Equality, Acceptance, and Knowledge; and PUEBLO. A senior at San Marcos High School, she is firmly committed to promoting tolerance in all realms. This summer, she became a counselor for the Just Communities Leadership Camp - a position that allowed her to teach peers about diversity. She is also very active with the California State Parks, where she has served as an assistant lifeguard and volunteered for six summers. This fall, Esther hopes to begin her freshman year at UC Los Angeles and major in History. | Carli Lochner
 | Personal experience with cancer is what prompted Carli to seek out a volunteer project that would allow her to help people dealing with the illness. To date, she has dedicated hundreds of hours to the patients of the Oncology ward at Cottage Hospital, doing what she can to help them spend their time comfortably and with some good company. A senior at San Marcos High School, Carli is also a member of the Santa Barbara Youth Council, the entity that recently opened the new Teen Center, which offers teens a safe, welcoming place to spend their evenings. Last year, Carli was appointed by the Mayor to join the Plan Santa Barbara committee, which oversees city design through 2030. Working alongside professionals, Carli is entrusted with the perspective of youth in the community. In the fall, she hopes to enroll at UC San Diego and begin her journey towards becoming an Oncologist. | Coledon Lupoli
No photo available | The 2008 salutatorian of Santa Barbara High School, Coledon has earned a 4.87 GPA - an impressive feat. When looking back at his years of community involvement, he writes that his work with the Santa Barbara Youth Council is what he is most proud of. In 2005, Coledon was on the board of students that made the Teen Center a reality. As Vice-Chair of the Council, he spends his afternoons tutoring other students, sitting on committees, and serving as a juror for Teen Court. Aside from these commitments, Coledon teaches young children how to play squash, helps build homes in Mexico, and organizes forums for youth to speak out against gang violence. His volunteer service will continue throughout college. Coledon hopes to attend Princeton University in the fall. | Kaitlin McCabe
No photo available | Thirteen years ago, Kaitlin’s parents dragged her into the Ellen Schipper Classical Ballet Studio - the place that she now calls her second home. She has since become an active and integral part of the student-run studio. Under the leadership of her ballet teacher, Kaitlin has done nearly every job possible in the small nonprofit - from sewing costumes to teaching younger students to building and painting scenery. She volunteers in the office and on the dance floor because of her love of dance and the gift that it brings to the community. The dance school performs free shows for city events and in nursing and retirement homes. Kaitlin is not only a talented performer, but an excellent student as well. She currently has a 4.44 GPA and has taken on rigorous coursework at Dos Pueblos High School. She hopes to enroll at Georgetown University this fall and pursue a degree in Political Science. | Christopher McDermut
No photo available | As a senior at Dos Pueblos High School, Christopher currently serves as the Chair of the Santa Barbara Youth Council, a board of dedicated and motivated students from throughout the city. He has spent hundreds of hours working to open the Teen Center and bring a valuable resource to his peers. He is also an active contributor to Shape of Voice magazine, an outlet for teens to express their opinions on important social and community matters. This young man is also dedicated to helping the environment, and has joined the executive committee of the Surfrider Foundation in order to help this effort to protect access to the coast and stop undue development. This fall, Christopher hopes to begin his study of Business at Brown University. | Nathaniel Oliver
No photo available | At 18 years-old, Nathaniel has already founded two non-profit groups aimed at serving the Santa Barbara community. After spending two summers working for a local bike shop, he was inspired to find a way to give bicycles to underprivileged youth. Nathaniel spent his summer earnings to buy and fix bikes, buy helmets, and solicit more donations. At Laguna Blanca High School, he started a Mountain Biking Club which took on the cause and continues to distribute bikes. His second major endeavor was the founding of the Laguna Athletes and Others for the B-RAD Fund, an organization which sought to help Brad Ebner, the DPHS football player who was seriously injured last year. Nathaniel solicited donations from a filmmaker and several community businesses. The benefit raised over $8,000 for the Ebner family. Nathaniel has accepted admission at Stanford University, where he will major in Engineering. | David Phillips
No photo available | David has spent the last four years volunteering and giving back to the Lompoc community. Although he is interested in many different organizations, the lion’s share of his involvement has been through his church. He has served as a musician in the adult band, as a babysitter, as a fundraiser, and as a participant on missionary trips to help build homes in Mexico. David’s love of music has led him to participate in a summer which visited local nursing homes. David also has organized Toys for Tots and a Food Pantry drive on the Cabrillo High School campus. He was selected to be a member of Youth Leadership Lompoc Valley, an organization that teaches youth how to contribute to society. David has succeeded academically and will graduate from Cabrillo this June with a 4.00 GPA. He hopes to enroll at Pepperdine University in the fall. | Christina Rich
No photo available | Christina (‘Charlie’) is an ambitious senior at Cabrillo High School. She has volunteered numerous hours through the many service involvements throughout high school. Charlie is an active Girl Scout and has participated in countless community service projects - from caroling to childcare to visiting nursing homes. She is a leader within the organization and is working on her Gold Award by fundraising for a children’s orphanage. Aside from her Girl Scout involvements, Charlie is a talented flamenco dancer who has performed at several community sites in order to share the beauty of dancing with others. Her other commitments include Relay for Life, La Purisima Bible Camp, and helping with Lompoc Parks and Recreation events. This fall, Charlie hopes to begin her journey towards becoming a lawyer by enrolling at UC Santa Barbara. | Daniel Rogers
 | When Daniel was six years-old, he and his siblings decided to share the world of reading with other children whose families could not afford to buy new books. The children founded the Rogers Kids Reading Klub and set up community drives in order to deliver used books to elementary schools and a transitional shelter in Lompoc. Twelve years later, Daniel is the main administrator for this non-profit. He partners with book liquidators and continues to set up drop-off points in the community. Last December, the organization donated over 2,000 books to deserving children. A senior at Cabrillo High School, Daniel would like to study law and eventually become a judge on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. This fall, he hopes to enroll at Harvard University. | Jacqueline Rotman
 | At 14 years-old, Jacqueline was standing in front of a group of 100 teenagers with developmental disabilities when her audio equipment failed. Unable to complete her hip-hop dance as planned, she instead invited the students to dance onstage with her. This experience had such an impact on both Jackie and her impromptu pupils that she went on to found Everybody Dance Now!, a nonprofit which brings free dance lessons to underprivileged children and teens. In the past two years, Jackie has written grant proposals, insured her organization, attained thousands of dollars in funding, and currently supervises more than ten teachers. Jackie and her staff teach ten performances every week in elementary schools and nonprofit after-school centers such as Girls Inc. and the Police Activities League. They estimate that over 500 students have participated in this year-round program. Jackie will graduate from Santa Barbara High School this June at age 16. In the fall, she hopes to study Biology at Stanford University. | Robert Rotman
No photo available | Robert founded Care to Share in 2005 in order to help the local homeless population by providing free lunches every Saturday. He solicited help from friends, family, and community members and together they prepare and deliver meals to a park on the Eastside of Santa Barbara. His experience with Care to Share allowed him to get to know one man who had lived on the streets for 17 years. Robert became his friend and convinced him to enter a rehabiltation facility. Nine months later, the man is sober and ready to enroll at Santa Barbara City College. Robert also saw a need to provide a fun winter program for the kids living in a transitional shelter during the holidays. He and a friend organized and provided educational, fun childcare to a group of over 30 kids. Robert will graduate from Santa Barbara High School this June and hopes to enroll at UC Berkeley in the fall. | Andrew Waranis
 | Andrew will be the salutatorian of the Cabrillo High School Class of 2008. His outstanding academic achievement is rivaled by his dedication to serving his community. When preparing for his Eagle Project - the highest rank in the Boy Scouts - Andrew wanted to seek out a way to help the entire city. He coordinated his troop and city staff in order to clean up graffiti in the Lompoc Skate Park. Andrew has also been an active participant in the Relay for Life for the past five years. A survivor of thyroid cancer, Andrew will graduate this June with 4.14 GPA. He has already accepted admission to UC Santa Barbara, where he will major in Computer Engineering. | Anton Warkentin
 | Anton is currently a senior at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. He is an Eagle Scout and is proud of the many hours that he has spent giving back to his community. For his Eagle Project, Anton decided to help improve his church’s kitchen, which was in dire need. He organized the entire project from start to finish encouraging his troop to dedicate numerous hours in the actual building and construction. Anton dedicated even more time as he attained funding and materials. Anton will enroll at Chapman University this fall and begin work on a degree in Graphic Design. |
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