Jaden

AAPLE Academy (Accelerated Academic Program for Leadership and Enrichment)

Accelerated Academic Program for Leadership and Enrichment is a four-year academy that develops leadership skills by exposing high-achieving students to leadership and service opportunities that improve the school and community. I applied and was accepted through a very competitive application process. One class per semester is an AAPLE class where leadership is embedded into the curriculum.

4 years

AAPLE Vice President

Elected by my peers and staff to lead and represent AAPLE. Make important program decisions impacting the entire academy, coordinate events like speaker series and fundraisers, oversee committees, represent AAPLE at community events, perform outreach to traditionally underserved students and communicate information to students and their families.

1 years

UCSB Quantum Photonics Research

Assist a grad student in researching 2D materials for their applications in quantum light generation and integration into quantum photonic devices. Micromechanically exfoliate for 2D materials, transfer them to various substrates, operate microscopes to find the location of monolayers and then identify monolayers large enough for use in photonics.

1 years

UCSB Summer Research Academy

Applied and accepted to study and research quantum physics, 2D materials and semiconductors. Wrote research paper and presented my findings on using Raman spectroscopy to characterize monolayer graphene. Lab work involved exfoliating graphene, calibrating the optical table and using the setup to determine the monolayer regions of graphene samples.

1 years

Cybertutorial

CyberTutorial is a program where high school students tutor first graders at a local elementary school through Zoom on a weekly basis. This provides underserved students with much-needed academic support to achieve proficiency in reading and math. President (12), Tutor (9-12) Organize and manage the entire tutoring program. Design a comprehensive curriculum, train tutors on how to teach the materials, set up the computers and applications required for digital tutoring and collaborate with teachers on the program. Teach students reading and math and collect and analyze data on their progress.

4 years

FoodBank Volunteer

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County improves the health of the community by increasing food security. It works to eliminate hunger by providing food, nutrition education and disaster relief resources to people and other food-oriented charities. Volunteer at various programs like Picnic in the Park which provides summertime lunches to kids and Backyard Bounty where I glean fresh produce for redistribution. Help at pre-packs where I assemble food boxes as well as food distributions where I then hand out these boxes. Organized a series of food drives and collected over 1000 items of food.

4 years

Community Drives

Community Drives is a student-led organization that runs donation drives for local nonprofits. It provides these nonprofits with highly requested items to distribute to people in need. President (11-12), Member (10) Spearhead drives by collaborating with community members and administrators, creating promotional materials and advertising on social media. Have collected items ranging from children’s coats for a low-income preschool to school supplies for youth experiencing homelessness to towels for a low-income retirement home.

3 years

Science Club

President (12), Member (11) Brainstorm, prep and perform hands-on science experiments for the club and explain the phenomena behind them. Discuss current science news, budget materials, and recruit members. Through this, I hope to inspire students, especially in underrepresented groups, to pursue STEM-related majors.

2 years

Soccer

Captain (10) Starter (9-11) Competed in district and regional games where I started as a defender. Practiced and conditioned daily. Led team on the field by directing warm-ups, providing guidance and motivating teammates to perform at a high level. Assisted in fundraising to ensure adequate transportation and money for tournament fees.

3 years

Science Student of the Year

This award is granted to the senior that shows the most proficiency in science and is a mentor to others. I was given this award due to my role as the chair of the science club and outstanding grades in science classes.

Pepperdine Youth Citizenship Seminar

Nominated by my counselor and selected by YCS. Strengthened leadership and citizenship skills through challenging team-building activities, invigorating breakout group discussions and by giving lively oral presentations to the entire program. Listened to many speakers give valuable insight about life and leadership as well as advice on the future.

AP Scholar with Distinction

This award is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. I received this award due to my exceptional scores on AP exams. I received nine 5s and one 4 making me eligible for this award.

College Board African American National Recognition

This award is granted to sophomores and juniors who take eligible administrations of AP, PSAT/NMSQT, or PSAT 10 exams, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and identify as African American or Black.

National Honor Soceity

Recipients are chosen through an evaluation of their application and teacher recommendations. A minimum GPA of 4.0 is required while involvement in extracurriculars, community service and held leadership positions are all taken into consideration. I applied and was accepted in 10th grade and renew my membership in National Honor Society every year. I was accepted because of my high GPA and rigorous course load. In addition to these, I had leadership roles, extracurricular activities and many hours of community service work.

California Scholarship Federation

Recipients must complete an application and submit their transcript and grades. Every class is given a specific point value based on their grade with AP and honors classes being worth more. Students over a certain point threshold are accepted. I applied and was accepted each semester of my sophomore, junior and senior years. I received this award due to my rigorous classes and the high grades I got in these classes. I am now a lifetime member because I have been a part of CSF for at least four semesters.

Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation General Award

Applied and was awarded this scholarship.