Community Corner
Pleasanton Student Devotes His Life To Service
Elias has worked hard to make a difference in his community, including through several food, clothing, and stocking drives.
PLEASANTON, CA — Star Students are found in classrooms, on concert and theater stages and at debate lecterns, and out in the community doing good things to make life better for all of us.
Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize Star Students, and we’re working to tell the stories of these outstanding kids to their neighbors.
This submission comes from Ken Mano who nominated Elias of Pleasanton, California.
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Star local student’s name
Elias
Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What grade is your star local student in?
12
How do you know the star local student?
Community of Character Scholarship recipient
Why do you believe the star local student should be recognized?
Elias is a senior at Foothill High School. When his family moved to Pleasanton, he experienced a new kind of insecurity. His prior community spoke Spanish and shared his culture and traditions. Suddenly, he felt stripped of his sense of belonging and became aware of his different skin. He felt a growing pressure to prove that he fit in, while still trying to hold onto his old identity. He joined the cross country team, but was quickly humbled, but through perseverance and hard work became successful, leading him to pursue larger risks, eventually qualifying for the school’s We the People team.
He sought local organizations to make a difference and found Christmas con Carino, which aided the most vulnerable and underserved, such as farmworkers. He established drives to fill stockings of their children. For the last 4 years, he delivered hundreds of stockings to various agricultural areas. He has been involved in many other service projects, such as: Smiles for Seniors, San Jose Women’s Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, Latinos Unidos, Kids Against Hunger, and National Honors Society helping with various food and clothing drives. Elias hopes to major in Political Science and Spanish, then follow a dream of studying civil and criminal law. Because of his cultural experiences and biliteracy, he hopes to one day serve as a voice for the underserved populations.
What's one thing you want everyone to know about the star local student?
Elias was named a recipient of the Juanita Haugen Scholarship from the Pleasanton Community of Character
Congratulations on your achievements, and all of our best wishes to you in the future, Elias!
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