Between the six finalists for the 2010 Goleta Teen of the Year, more than 1,750 hours of service have been dedicated to the community just this year. The six high school seniors were honored for their accomplishments by the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime on Thursday night at the UCSB Faculty Club.
With an impressive resume of community service already, Morgan Lunt, 17, of Dos Pueblos High School, can now add Goleta Teen of the Year to his accolades. For him, the acknowledgment of his hard work and dedication is just the icing on the cake, and the real gratification comes from volunteering.
“I don’t feel as if this represents myself, but the community and what teens should be doing,” Lunt told Noozhawk. “Having the opportunity to represent the community and show that we’re more than just high school students, it’s great.”
Lunt’s mom, Donna West-Lunt, escorted him to the stage during the ceremony and was speechless for a moment afterward.
“I am, extremely proud,” she said. “I think it’s really neat that he can engage in the community like he does. It takes courage to do that and I admire his courageousness.”
Lunt’s father, Barry, was ill and unable to attend Thursday’s ceremonies, but his paternal grandparents, Joyce and Leon Lunt, were there to cheer him on.
The annual Goleta Teen of the Year award comes with a $2,000 scholarship awarded by the Rotary Club, as well as a $1,000 bond from the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce. The runner-up, Jackie McGuan, 17, also from Dos Pueblos High, received a $1,500 scholarship from the Rotary Club. McGuan is the daughter of Mary and Bryan McGuan.
The Goleta Teen of the Year award has been a staple in Goleta since 1976 when the Rotary Club handed out a scholarship for the first “Goleta Valley Queen.” In 1992, the program was expanded to include young men. This year, long-time Rotarian Connie Burns was honored with a special scholarship in her name. Caroline Green, 17, of Dos Pueblos High, was the recipient of the inaugural Connie Burns Special Award and a $300 scholarship, and Burns was proud to bestow that honor.
“I think its wonderful,” Burns said. “I’ve been with the program so long and it’s wonderful to get to honor them. It makes me happy to give something to the teens.”
The ceremony also took time to honor last year’s Goleta Teen of the Year, Hardeep Ahdi, and the continued work he has given to the community. Ahdi, a Dos Pueblos High graduate, is a freshman at UCSB and continues to volunteer at the Goleta public library. Newly installed Goleta Mayor Margaret Connell and representatives from all levels of government were on hand to present Ahdi with special recognitions, and he said he was grateful for the honors.
“(The recognition) goes both ways,” Ahdi said. “I dedicate my time and show respect to the community and in return they show respect to me.”
Emceed by Larry Crandell, as it has been for more than 15 years, Thursday’s program also recognized the four other finalists: Dos Pueblos High’s Green, the daughter of Ibolya and Russell Green, and Nicholas McFarland, the son of Pat and Loren McFarland, and San Marcos High School’s Connor King, the son of Lisa and David King, and Ben McKenzie, the son of Sharon and Doug McKenzie.
Each year, the Goleta Teen of the Year program requests nominations from the community, and nominees are put to work as volunteers at events such as the California Lemon Festival, the Fourth of July Fireworks Festival at Girsh Park and the Goleta Valley Historical Society at Stow House. Candidates must be a junior or a senior at Dos Pueblos, San Marcos, Bishop Diego or Laguna Blanca schools, maintain a minimum 2.75 grade-point average, live in a Goleta ZIP code and must contribute to the community.
The number of participants is narrowed down to a few finalists, who interview with judges and submit an essay and a letter of recommendation. This year’s judges were Burns, of Town’n Country Realty; Michelle Apodaca, executive assistant at Deckers Outdoor Corp.; Cami Helmuth, co-chairwoman of the Goleta Teen of the Year program; Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen; and former Goleta Mayor Eric Onnen.
The finalists had $150 donated to the charities of their choice on their behalf. The Mission Impact, Junior Statesmen Foundation, Kids and Bikes Foundation, Parc Council–Santa Barbara Youth Council and the American Red Cross-Santa Barbara County Chapter were the recipients of the donations.
For Lunt, it was an honor to stand among the finalists, as they all do a lot for the community.
“I was graced to be around people who care so much about their community,” he said. “I feel honored to be up here with a bunch of kids with similar motivation.”
Lunt, the founder and president of the Dos Pueblos Permaculture Club, hopes to attend Stanford University next year and would live to be involved in making the earth a greener place.
The 2010 Goleta Teen of the Year ceremony was sponsored by Deckers Outdoors Corp., the city of Goleta, Goleta Jewelers, Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, Luxury Limousine, Red Baron Aviation, Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime, Windhaven Glider Rides, and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.
Click here for more information on the Goleta Teen of the Year program. Click here for more information on the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime, which meets at 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays at the Elephant Bar Restaurant, 521 Firestone Road.