©2002 Quest Scholars

PO Box 20054
Stanford, CA 94309

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LOCAL: (650) 331-3280
FAX: (650) 653-2516
questions@syesp.stanford.edu

Although Renee has only lived in the United States for four years, she has already established herself here with a confidence that takes most a lifetime to accomplish. Since her parents frequently stay in Hong Kong for economic and health reasons, she has learned to be independent through living by herself. Taking care of herself has taught Renee how to confront obstacles with prudence and maturity. Renee has a logical, quick mind and excels at mathematics and chemistry. She hopes to apply her chemistry knowledge to help solve and prevent environmental problems. Renee is a talented piano player, playing for twelve years. She uses piano both to relieve her from emotional stress and to help her to form closer bonds with friends that she shares her music with. Renee also enjoys singing, writing, meditating, listening to jazz, swimming, and hiking.

All those around Ian can be found with smiles on their faces, brightened by his keen sense of humor. A very introspective young man, he has spent much time developing who he is and who he wants to become. He is a talented musician, playing guitar in a band with friends and playing flute in his high school concert band. Ian is also a versatile athlete, playing ice hockey for nine straight seasons, stopping only this year for a change of pace through wrestling, where he was league champion in his weight class. He recognizes the social and environmental problems which plague our world, and he strives to remedy these problems at a local level through serving his community.

Vanesa brings heart and sincerity to everything she does. This remarkable young woman of Puerto Rican descent considers giving back to her Southern California community a high priority. She wants to use her warmth and energy to restore her community and empower local Latino youths. Vanesa demonstrates maturity through her ability to approach problems with an inspiring amount of zeal and confidence. She places tremendous value on life, people, learning, and happiness. These passions manifest themselves as a warm smile, an understanding ear, an observant eye, and a genuine heart.

Cari is an extraordinarily creative and open-minded individual. Her creativity shines through her amazing artwork, which she can be caught working on in her free time. Cari is especially concerned about deforestation, both globally and locally, due to her love of plants and the energy they provide for the Earth. After college, she hopes to return to her hometown to use her professional skills to improve the environment of her community. Cari has a very optimistic and positive attitude towards life. She believes that all of the world's problems can be solved if people work together.

Brian is accustomed to challenges. As a student of the Magnet Program for the highly gifted at his high school, he is constantly faced with difficult assignments and high expectations. Despite his demanding schedule, however, he still finds time to pursue his other interests: basketball, piano, and spending time with friends. Brian loves all sciences, and he tries to see how everything in the world is linked to the basic scientific principles of observation, hypothesis, and conclusion. He considers his greatest challenge to be his desire to make a positive influence in his community. He hopes that the SYESP will help him find the path to helping his community and solidifying his goals.

Nathan's friendly demeanor, relaxed attitude, and powerfully subtle sense of humor draw people towards him wherever he goes. The best adjectives to describe this dynamic young man's beliefs are open-minded and free-thinking. Although he has various interests, his passion is music. Nathan pursues this passion vigorously, playing percussion at his high school and with the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also bangs drums with "the Blockheads", a pop band with punk influence which he started with friends. Living in beautiful Sonoma County, home to the great naturalist Luther Burbank, Nathan has always been concerned about his environment. His social consciousness and global awareness drive his thirst for knowledge and understanding of greater issues.

An exceptionally composed and fun-loving young man of Salvadoran descent, Rene strives to be an example of hard work and leadership in his community. "No matter how good you are, there will always be someone better than you," comments Rene. He feels that this saying helps him keep the motivation that will guide him through life's obstacles. Always curious about how and why things happen, Rene expects to develop his creative juices through engineering. At the same time, he feels that his analytical thinking and serious demeanor may lead him towards business. Whichever road Rene decides to take, he will never stop striving to do his best, even when it appears he has reached his peak.

Whether she is tutoring peers or volunteering at a local school, Bethany puts all her efforts into helping others. She brings this same mentality to the sports in which she participates at her high school. On her track team, she is constantly teaching others new events or cheering on her teammates in a race. Bethany wants to continue helping others by creating and perfecting new technologies as an engineer. She hopes to help her fellow peers during her participation in the SYESP program, as well as learn from the friends she meets. Bethany is excited to create new methods of improving the environment, which she can bring back to her community.

A first generation Chinese-American, Rosalind is a resident of Oakland, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Due to her past experiences with racism and social inequity, Rosalind has developed an indignant attitude towards these injustices, but has realized that having a mutual hatred for those that mistreat her is not the solution. She hopes to use her knowledge and experience to teach others about the importance of love and unity. Rosalind invests her heart in helping others gain a powerful vision for their lives and the world which surrounds them.

Nicholas is an independent, responsible, and bright young man. He is an active student at Lemoore High School, playing Varsity Tennis and participating in various clubs. He plans to attend medical school and to become a surgeon in order to help those in need. Preparing himself for his future goal, Nicholas spends much of his time volunteering at Hanford Community Hospital. He has always held a concern for his natural surroundings, and he believes that education is crucial if humankind wishes to preserve the environment for future generations. Nicholas hopes to apply the information he has learned from class and SYESP to help educate his community.

Alejandra is a very modest and caring individual who respects all life around her. She attends Tracy High School, where she is involved in the very demanding International Baccalaureate Program. She is also an active member of the diving and cross country teams at her school. An extremely talented artist, Alejandra sees beauty in all things around her, and even interprets the sports she plays as a form of art. Alejandra enjoys working with computers and aspires to be an electrical engineer. She dreams of incorporating her love of art into the field of engineering.

Mizuho is a very happy person, as is evident by her ever-present, subtle grin. She believes strongly in the natural and human aspects of life and is fascinated by the medical field, where she feels she can merge these two areas. Her interests include soccer and music, which she uses to find inner-peace and strength. Mizuho is driven by her desire to learn and experience as well as her love of working with others. She looks forward to working on many projects at SYESP, especially her environmental outreach project directed at achieving clean water for her community. She loves children and hopes that her outreach project will give her an opportunity to work with students in middle and elementary schools.

Michael was born in Santa Rosa, CA and raised on a small apple farm in Sebastopol. He is the second child of Rogelio and Victoria Murillo, two hard working immigrants from a small mountain village in Mexico. His father's hard working and practical, rugged knowledge of the land inspired a deep respect and connection with the natural land. Farming had its necessary union of technology and natural processes, which inspired Michael's initial interest in synthesizing human development, principally in necessary technologies, with the needs of larger ecosystems. For more information on Michael, please visit his staff profile.

Tanya, a first generation Mexican-American, thrives in cheerful, cooperative environments. She is an open, caring young woman and gets along easily with all around her. All creatures of the planet are welcomed in Tanya's heart, and she is concerned with their welfare as industrial regions expand. For this reason, she aspires to become a veterinarian. She greatly enjoys working with people to find solutions to problems, especially those related to the environment. The values which aid her in her journey towards improving the health of the Earth are humor, love, trust, honesty, and interdependence.

Angelina is a very bright and cheerful young woman who brings curiosity into everything she does. Eager to learn and open to new ideas, Angelina brings energy into every learning environment in which she participates. Having grown up in the coastal community of Ventura, she has experienced first hand the effects of ocean and beach pollution and is greatly concerned about the future of her coastal ecosystem. Angelina spends much of her free time coaching children in both soccer and track. As a coach, Angelina feels that she is giving back to her community by serving as a role model to the children of Ventura.

Sarah's interest in environmental studies is sparked by her passion for service. She strives to make a positive impact in the world, putting more back in than she takes out. Environmental justice and health are areas where she feels that her strengths meet the needs of her community. She participates in a building service project each summer, and she hopes to incorporate her environmental studies into this endeavor. Of Hispanic and Caucasian descent, Sarah often feels as if she were a bridge between two distinct cultures. She hopes to help bring these cultures together, strengthening the bond between them. Sarah is an extremely mature young woman, aware of her community's needs and of her own aspirations.

Always eager for a conversation, Nico is a natural communicator. He considers teaching others, as well as learning himself, as his greatest joys in life. He views the world as a class which is always in session, and believes that every experience can be a learning experience. Nico enjoys philosophizing about the world while studying it simultaneously through physics and other sciences. He also has a love for basketball, which he pursues vigorously. Nico dreams of a life which would allow him always to be associated with an institution of higher learning.

Responsibility, perseverance, and integrity are the values which most represent this outstanding young man. Jose immigrated to the US from Mexico when only a few months old. He is proud of his Mexican heritage, but at the same time embraces "American culture" with outstretched arms. He hopes someday to serve as a mentor to other needy Hispanic students and to guide them through high school and college. He wants to inspire students to stay in school and to try their best to reach their ultimate goals. Given his determination and motivated attitude, Jose will be successful in achieving any goal he sets out to conquer.

If there is one philosophy that Michael follows, it is never to compromise his morals. A distinguished leader in his school and community, he strives to live his life with the objective to help others. Michael's genuine interest in environmental issues is illustrated by his volunteer work at an environmental garden in his community. There, Michael hopes to educate his community about the true scope of the Earth's dilemma. As a Hispanic adolescent, he feels it his duty to encourage fellow minorities to assert their rights. Michael dreams of a world that treats everyone as equals.

A critical thinker, Michael questions every assumption he encounters with unparalleled wit. This bright young man feels that much of his character is shaped by his favorite authors--Jack Kerouac, Piers Anthony, and Ernest Hemingway--whose literature he reads with zeal. His passion for literature drives him towards his aspiration of becoming an author, through which he can influence others as he has been influenced. Michael believes that people realize the importance of nature through personal experience, be it direct contact with nature or appreciation through literature, film, or art. Encounters with nature, he believes, instill awe in humans and force them to see the divinity of life and the importance of their own inspirations.