Luke Favorite, left, with his Educator of Distinction Debbie Grothaus. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

John Cawkwell, left, and Educator of Distinction Debbie Grothaus. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

 BY JENNIFER MCCUMBER
Executive Director
Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation

The Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation awarded six community service scholarships and one career technical scholarship for students in the Hilltopper Class of 2024. Each student who received a scholarship wrote an essay about their Educator of Distinction –someone who has had a positive impact on the student during their time in the Los Alamos Public Schools. The Foundation held a reception at the high school in May for the students, their families and their educators of distinction.

Congratulations to the following community service scholarship winners and their educators of
distinction:

Luke Favorite is the son of Kandice and Jeff Favorite. This fall Luke will attend Purdue University and major in aerospace engineering. Luke was selected as the most meritorious recipient among this already impressive group of students and was awarded with the Rynd Award. This award is made possible by a large bequest left to LAPS Foundation by Ed and Betty Rynd, a couple with a passion for community service and our schools. Luke selected Debbie Grothaus,
LAHS physics teacher, as Educator of Distinction. Luke described Ms. Grothaus as “the greatest
teacher and mentor that I have had in my entire LAPS career” and said this about her: “She has
some inexplicable presence that makes her pleasant to be around, and that in tandem with her
outright enthusiasm about physics added a lot to my enjoyment of her class and online school
as a whole. I would venture to say that it was her class that made me care about school despite
all of the craziness and how easy it would have been just to have given up.”

John Cawkwell is the son of Michela Ombelli and Marc Cawkwell. He will attend the University of California at Berkeley and major in physics. John also selected Debbie Grothaus, his physics
teacher, as Educator of Distinction. In his essay Cawkwell wrote, “Though a majority of the class
occurred during the COVID pandemic, Mrs. Grothaus always made her lectures absorbing and
informative. Her class made an otherwise difficult year for learning one where I was able to
expand my knowledge of a subject I otherwise knew little about. . . She taught me the
importance of having a strong work ethic and commitment to education during a critical time in my life when online schooling made such lessons difficult to teach. It is this life advice that
allowed me to succeed at my first AP exam, and it has allowed me to succeed in my subsequent
years of high school.”

Rebecca Li. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

Rebecca Li is the daughter of Yuhong Qin and Shengtai Li. She will attend the University
California at Los Angeles and major in psychobiology this fall. Rebecca chose Christine
Engelbrecht, her 10th grade English teacher, as Educator of Distinction. Li wrote, “Ms.
Engelbrecht was unlike any other teacher I had encountered in high school. Rather than
adhering to a strict curriculum, she encouraged critical thinking through in-depth analysis,
pushing her students to address the implicit themes of what we were reading and writing
rather than what was obvious. . . Academically, Ms. Engelbrecht has pushed me in ways no teacher has ever done, forcing me to reason critically and pave new methods of thought. And
yet, it is her openness and supportiveness as a teacher that changed my identity, creating who I
am today. . . Her guidance, encouragement, and support continue to inspire and motivate me
to become a better writer and person than I was yesterday.”

Samuel Pesiri, right, with Educator of Distinction Audrey Juliani. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

Samuel Pesiri is the son of Dave Pesiri and Deborah Apodaca. He plans to study political science
and economics at the University of San Diego. Samuel chose Audrey Juliani, his 6th grade
teacher at Barranca as Educator of Distinction. He wrote, “Ms. Audrey Juliani showed me how
to truly be a person of character. . . When we started the Caesar’s English Unit, I realized my passion for learning such challenging concepts, and it felt historical and relevant. Ms. Juliani pushed me to do the curriculum and more; she was so encouraging with me. . .”

Akshay Swaminarayan, right, and Educator of Distinction Andrea Weems. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

Akshay Swaminarayan is the son of Gayathri Sriram and Sriram Swaminiarayan. He plans to study biochemistry at the University of Arizona this fall. Akshay chose Andrea Weems, his GATE
teacher at Pinon, as Educator of Distinction. He wrote in his essay, “Ms. Weems taught in an
engaging way that I had not been introduced to. . . she made sure we were all immersed in the
assignments and that we all participated and understood. Beyond academics, her classroom
was a place where I felt secure and safe. . . Her support throughout my years in GATE and
beyond altered the way I saw myself and instilled the much-needed confidence to succeed in
life. Ms. Weems was truly the most influential and memorable teacher that I have had so far. As
I cross the bridge from high school to college, I intend to make her proud in my pursuit of
higher education.”

Praveen Swaminarayan, right, and Educator of Distinction Nikol Strother. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

Praveen Swaminarayan is also the son of Gayathri Sriram and Sriram Swaminiarayan. Praveen
will attend the University of California at Irvine and major in civil engineering. Praveen chose
Nikol Strother, his math teacher at LAHS, as Educator of Distinction. Praveen wrote, “Ms.
Strother will always be my favorite teacher because of her positive outlook on education, her
passion towards teaching math, and her willingness to speak out when she doesn’t like
something. I know that her classroom is a space where I will always feel safe and welcomed.
Ms. Strother significantly improved my High School experience and for that I will always be
thankful for having her as my teacher.”

Congratulations to the following career technical scholarship winner and educator of
distinction:

Chad Kuzmack and Educator of Distinction Michelle Bane. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography

Chad Kuzmack is the son of Doreen and Michael Kuzmack. He will attend San Juan Community
College in the fall to study radiology. Chad selected Michelle Bane, LAMS clinical counselor as
Educator of Distinction. Chad wrote, “Ms. Bane did her absolute best to ensure I would succeed in high school and beyond, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was a hard time for everybody across the globe. . . Through all that I have accomplished in both academics
and in life, I would not be the person that I am without my Educator of Distinction, Ms. Bane. I
can never repay her for all that she’s done for me and will forever be grateful to her.”

LAPS Foundation is honored to award scholarships to these outstanding graduates and to
recognize the teachers who have made such an important impact on their lives.

About LAPS Foundation
The Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that helps the local community provide an extraordinary education for Los Alamos students. Los Alamos
has given more than $2 million to fund opportunities students and teachers would not have otherwise. To learn more about LAPS Foundation and how to get involved and/or make a donation, visit lapsfoundation.com or call 505.500.6501. Donations to LAPS Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization, are tax-deductible.