Students Win Praise for Achievements

The Chamber of Commerce on Thursday honored high school and college students for outstanding scholastic achievement.

At the 18th annual Student Awards Breakfast, chamber President Tony Petros led the program, along with Margaret A. Gratton, president of Orange Coast College; Costa Mesa Mayor Peter Buffa; and local educators.

Students were singled out for exceptional academic and athletic performance on their respective campuses.

Winners from Estancia High School were Ryan Miller, an AP scholar; Mike Mooney, a varsity baseball player; Christine Slawson, a member of the California Scholarship Federation; and Melissa Inouye, a member of the varsity track, cross country and soccer teams.

Costa Mesa High winners were Brian Witt, valedictorian for the Class of 1997; Joe Wrkich, a member of the student council; Koo Kim, most valuable player on the basketball team; and Stacey Thompson, a cheerleader.

The Alternative Education Center winners were Gina Wallace, a past student representative to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District; and Jetsun Jacobs, a cancer survivor and composer.

Orange Coast College winners were Abbas Tabaja, a member of the Student Success Committee; and Dung-Hanh Thi Nguyen, editor of the Vietnamese Student Assn. newsletter.

Southern California College winners were Brad Bentley, a marketing major; and Rachel Moore, senior class president.

OCC also honored two athletes of the year: Winsu Wardhana, a swimmer; and Dianne Pulido, a basketball player.

A special award went to David Cline, president of Balboa Instruments Inc., for sponsoring an internship program that allowed students from both high schools to work at his company.