MVHS administration held the 53rd annual Senior Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 23, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the auditorium. During the ceremony, administrative staff and representatives from scholarship programs recognized students for their work throughout the year in community service, music, arts, sports and drama, followed by a reception in the Student Union with light refreshments and a backdrop for taking photos. Various MVHS alumni also attended the ceremony and reception to celebrate the outstanding students of the year.
Athletic Director Nick Bonacorsi presented various athletic awards, such as the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award and Matador of the Year. Seniors Bhavan Balusu, Nathan Diaz, Denny Dong, Drew Goldman, Olivia Ho, Daphne Huang, Ruhi Kotwal, Gracie Lee, Sophia Lu, Anika Manjesh, Leo Matsumoto, Hamza Moharram, Jacob Nakamura, Darya Pereverzeva, Rahul Pothineni, Alice Ross, Carolyn Ruan, Evelyn Xie and Courtney Yuen received the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award while seniors Cara Constant, Elijah Kang and Vivian Ong received the Matador of the Year Award. Principal Ben Clausnitzer ended the ceremony by awarding the most prestigious award, the Service Above Self Award, to senior Mihret Tesfaye for her outstanding community service work.
Despite receiving the award, Tesfaye emphasizes that all of her community service work was not just for the sake of receiving an award but that she truly wanted to create a positive impact on those around her.
“I did everything with a full heart and passion, not for any award or recognition but for the good of others and the fulfillment it brought me,” Tesfaye said. “I am personally very grateful that I was able to make as much of an impact on this school as it has made on me.”
The past year, Tesfaye devoted her time to countless extracurricular activities, such as Ohana Club, the Social Emotional Equity Coalition, MV Drama, ASB and serving as Captain of Varsity Cheer. Tesfaye believes that her success is a direct result of her passion.
“With MVHS’ culture, it’s very easy to feel a certain way or pressured to succumb to the grind, cookie-cutter path many here take,” Tesfaye said. “I can wholeheartedly say I did my best to escape from that path, and make my high school experience my own. I believe in the meritocracy of things, and that if you do everything with pure intentions you won’t necessarily ‘reap the rewards’ — because truthfully sometimes there is no reward — but that you will feel truly fulfilled and it will mold you into the kind of person who embodies your true morals.”
