Karen Eliza Villegas, 2012 Seymour Award Finalist

Stacy Moore, adviser of CSF chapter 1103 at West Valley High School, writes of Karen, "In my 10 years of teaching, I have met just one student who completely astounds me. It seems her list of accomplishments could serve as a marker for all students striving to meet the CSF motto, Scholarship for Service." A natural leader, Ms. Moore says of Karen, "...taking her own time to work for the betterment of all, she demonstrated that she is a young woman who sees the big picture and who understands that working for others is key."

Leonard Sanchez, teacher at Chaffey High School, had the pleasure of working with Karen last summer at the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, a week-long, intensive leadership institute. Mr. Sanchez tells us that very quickly; Karen emerged as one of the leaders of the group. In their many conversations, Mr. Sanchez learned of Karen's work as an ELD tutor on her campus; "I was amazed to hear of the work she does with her fellow students, and am looking to emulate the program she works for at my school," he writes.

Karen cites her work with the Inland Empire Future Leaders organization as what encouraged her to "get more involved in her own community" and what helped build her confidence as a leader, giving her the courage to run for the office of CSF. Karen wanted to become a part of CSF to "give back to a program that she felt could do more to benefit its students." Looking ahead, Karen is planning to study political science, and fulfill her dream of working for the District Attorney's office. Having already heard good news from UC Riverside and UC Irvine, Karen is still deciding between those and other colleges such as Pomona, Princeton, and Yale.