Christopherson, Gilchrist, Hoff and Macias honored as Students of the Month

The individuals honored as the Students of the Month for March included a cadet who was lauded as a natural leader, standout student-athletes credited with helping struggling classmates, and a teen mom who has overcome the odds to put herself in position to graduate.

Emma Christopherson, Luke Gilchrist and Collin Hoff of Fallbrook Union High School and Elizabeth Macias of Ivy High School were saluted at the Student of the Month Awards breakfast March 1 at North Coast Church.

Gilchrist was the first student to be presented to the audience and he was introduced by Lt. Col. William L. Wade, USMC (Ret), of the Fallbrook High JROTC program and math teacher Debbie Berg. Both Wade and Berg read excerpts from letters they had written in support of Gilchrist – Wade's letter of recommendation went to officials at the United States Naval Academy and Berg's was sent to California senator Kamala Harris asking her to nominate Gilchrist for the academy.

In his letter, Wade commended Gilchrist for his growth as an individual, strength of character, leadership skills, humility and moral compass. Wade then added a few more comments after he completed reading the excerpt from his letter.

"This young man has impressed me every single day with his willingness to lead by example, which is something that we impress upon cadets every single day," said Wade. "He spends his extra time helping people who are struggling with their academics, with their personal problems, and that comes with being the executive officer of the company. He spends his extra time to insure that they succeed. That to me is a natural leader."

In reading an excerpt from her letter, Berg relayed that Gilchrist's "work ethic is superior to others, and through this effort, he exceeds to meet his high standards. Luke has chosen to take a demanding academic course load throughout his four years and worked hard to continue his excellent grades. He loves his country, he is honest, he is diligent and he's a person of character. He enjoys building positive relationships as well as a strong team ethic. He prides himself on maintaining high standards of behavior, loyalty, and dedication and discipline."

Gilchrist thanked his family, Wade, Berg, Master Sergeant Brian Richardson, college counselor Tony Morrow and other Fallbrook High teachers and staff for their support.

"I have applied to and been accepted to the United States Naval Academy," said Gilchrist, prompting a hearty round of applause. "I will be attending there after high school and pursue a mechanical engineering degree and hopefully fly for the United States Navy. Once again I thank all my friends and family for being influential for helping me get to where I am."

Berg stayed on the stage and along with fellow teacher Peggy Hukill introduced Hoff, a four-year varsity baseball player who last year earned first team All-Valley League honors and threw a no-hitter. Hukill spoke first and told of Hoff's generous volunteerism at church and in the community.

"Collin loves baseball and he has volunteered for the athletic baseball camp on base for military children for two years and has also volunteered at Fallbrook High School's baseball summer camp," said Hukill. "He has been an umpire for many years and has been a role model for all the children involved in Fallbrook Youth Baseball. We have all witnessed his composure, professionalism and his kind nature."

Berg explained that Hoff had the highest grade in her class, a result gained by his tremendous work ethic. She added that the courteous Hoff is quick to share his knowledge.

"He is always happy to help others in our classroom who are struggling," said Berg. "He has confidence and is also very humble. His smile is infectious and he is always so polite. He thanks me every day as he leaves my classroom. I know the future holds great things for him."

Hoff thanked the teachers he has had through his years at Fallbrook High School, stating he was blessed to have many "dedicated" educators. He said he looks forward to playing baseball at the next level at Palomar College, which has a nationally-ranked team. Hoff added he ultimately plans to have a career in firefighting.

"Depending on where baseball takes me I will continue my education at a four-year university and get my bachelors in kinesiology," said Hoff. "I'm confident with the schooling I've had at Fallbrook High School that I will be well-prepared to further my education."

When his baseball playing days are over, Hoff said he will attend the fire academy and become a firefighter. "I've always wanted to help others and this is a perfect fit for me," said Hoff.

Chemistry teacher Corey Manring and Jeff Patterson (a.k.a. Coach Chip) presented Christopherson, an outstanding volleyball player who will likely be heading to South Dakota State University to play Division I volleyball on a scholarship. Despite a busy sports schedule, Manring said Christopherson found time to volunteer in the community (homeless shelters, REINS, tutoring and coaching) and stay on top of her studies.

"The one thing that stands out to me about Emma is her dedication," said Manring, noting that Christopherson would come in at lunch "almost every day" to make up work. Christopherson also came to the aid of a fellow student.

"Last semester we had a student who was failing but Emma made sure to work one-on-one with him every day both during class and at lunch to get his grade up to a passing C," said Manring. "I thought that was quite amazing."

Patterson admitted that when he first saw Christopherson, he had some doubts about her ability as an athlete.

"Emma came to me a tall, lanky girl walking into the gym tripping over her feet," said Patterson. "And somebody was saying, 'she's a great player,' and I was kind of hesitant and looking at her and said, 'well, she ain't walking too well.' I wasn't real sure. But the moment we rolled those balls out there her character shined through as a athlete."

Patterson said Christopherson, as a freshman, held her own with the best players on the varsity team and has never stopped working to get better. He said having Christopherson on his team was "the best time of my life, I have to say, when it comes to a student-athlete. I always say I wish I could have more like Emma."

Christopherson explained that she has had some tough times on the volleyball court and that it is "hard to be student-athletes."

"During my junior year I slipped on water during a game and ended up fracturing both of my wrists," said Christopherson. "I was out for three weeks. It was supposed to be six weeks but I ended up taking my cast off one night so I could play in probably our most important games of the season, which we ended up losing. It was a hard fight."

Christopherson, who plans to major in nutrition and dietetics, thanked Patterson for "believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself."

"My favorite thing he's taught me through high school is never say you can't, because you can," said Christopherson of Patterson's message. "It might be hard, but you can do whatever you set your mind to."

Macias, nominated by Ivy High School teacher Amie MacBeth, knows all about hard times. Overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a mother at age 15, she nearly dropped out of high school before turning things around after receiving a stern and honest talk from MacBeth.

"A startling, unsettling fact that we should be troubled by is that only 38 to 50 percent of teen mothers earn a high school diploma," said MacBeth. "We also know that when a parent doesn't graduate high school, it is a 50 percent chance that their child won't graduate and more and more beyond that. That's upsetting for a family, that's upsetting for a community, that's upsetting for a nation.

"I told her every choice she makes directly affects her child," continued MacBeth. "It took a few weeks and something in Elizabeth clicked. She went from passing a class once in awhile to passing every class, often times ahead of schedule. As parents you recognize this feat – that all of this was done with a toddler. She's a success story. She's her own success story. While every member of the Ivy Staff is incredibly proud of her, she is the only person that did this."

Macias, who will be attending Palomar College in the fall and plans to study psychology, said she owed it her parents, her son and herself to get back on the right track and finish high school.

"I became a teen mom at 15," said Macias. "So, at 15 with a kid, it's kind of like you're destined for failure. You're not going to graduate school and you'll probably end up having more than one kid by the time you're 20. I believe that my parents came across the border for a better future and I'm here to work for them."

Macias, 18, said her journey has been challenging.

"It's not easy," said Macias. "It hasn't been. I thought it would be easier as I got older and my son got older, but it isn't. But, it's greater love. We struggle together. He sees it. I see it every morning and late nights. But I know it's always worth it. My job is to make him proud and make my parents' sacrifices worth it, because it is. It always is and it always will be."

Macias, who received a standing ovation upon completing her words, said her future goals are to earn an associate psychology degree at Cal State San Marcos and one day provide counseling to students as a school psychologist.