Michelle Aleman wants to turn a regular smile into a "Hollywood smile." Her career objective is to graduate from a four-year university like UCI or Chapman and pursue a career in dentistry. Michelle comes from a family of 5 who immigrated to the United States from Ecuador. She freely concedes that "I might not be rich, but what makes a person admirable is the value of their soul and personality." Michelle wants a chance to demonstrate her value in more ways than one. "If we all make a move, we can make a tremendous change for the benefit of our community – maybe even our country," she said. In order to lead by example, Michelle is involved with Project Say, a group of young people that focuses on learning leadership skills. Her shyness has been a problem in the past, but Michelle is working hard to overcome it. An Honor Roll student and AVID student of the year, Michelle's GPA of 5.0 is amazing and well deserved. Her Spanish teacher says that Michelle is a focused, hard-working student. "The high grade she is getting in my class is not only reflective of her academic achievement but also her personal character."

When she was young, Michelle recalls suffering many scrapes and spills while riding her bike – but she always got right back on. Eventually, she became a competent bicyclist. Michelle has maintained this attitude of perseverance through the years, despite facing the economic challenges of having a single mother who has had to work two jobs to support the family of three. Michelle wants to "silence the voices of those that tell her there's no point." Michelle has her sights set on graduating from UCI or UCLA with a degree in Law or Early Childhood Education. "I am no ordinary student who wants to go to college," she said. "I want to overcome adversities so that I can be a proud person." Michelle has already earned the Perfect Attendance Award, the Gold Award for achieving a 4.6 GPA, the Honor Roll, and the Presidential Award. Her English teacher recalled a poem Michelle wrote in which she compared herself to one starving for learning and desiring a seat at the banquet called "college". Lack of finances won't stand in her way – Michelle has the ambition, focus and intellect to guarantee her a seat as a Simon Scholar.

Edwin Hernandez dreams of graduating college and becoming a pediatrician. "Children are our future," he said, "so I want to help them in my future." Entering his junior year with a GPA of 4.25, Edwin has been on the Honor Roll for the past three years. Besides being active in Football and Track and Field, he also spends hours each week tutoring younger students. "Edwin has always displayed a high degree of integrity, responsibility and ambition," his Language Arts teacher said. "His inquisitive tenacity, good judgment and mature outlook ensure a logical and practical approach to his endeavors." Edwin knows that the road ahead will be difficult, but he welcomes it with courage. "The only way to stay ahead," he said, "is to be the best I can be. It doesn't matter how good others are; it is how well I do within myself." Edwin credits his mom for inspiring him to do his best. "I want her to believe in me," he said. He views the Simon Scholar program as providing him with the means to make her dreams for him come true.

When Tri Ho first started school, he knew very little English. This was intimidating at first and contributed to his shyness. It wasn't until the 8th grade that Tri began to recognize just how crucial an education was. He knew he needed help in achieving his full potential, so he enrolled in AVID (Advance Via Individual Determination). In 9th grade, he joined the Tiger Woods Learning Center, where he excelled in a Robotics class. "I began to learn about career exploration," Tri said. Now he is tutoring other young students at the Center four hours per week. Tri has shown incredible strength as a member of a family that has endured financial and personal difficulties. When their home burned down a couple of years ago in an electrical fire, Tri admitted to feeling sad about all the things he had lost, but he refused to let it affect his grades. "I had perfect attendance at school and kept my grades up," he said. This adversity helped refine his personal character. With a GPA of 3.6, Tri wants to be the first in his family to graduate from a four-year university. One of his instructors described Tri as "striving for academic excellence." From a shy student to a remarkable young man, Tri Ho is on the path to success.

Her parents' words, "Work hard now, for your life will be easier in the end" are often repeated in sophomore Jennifer Katekintha's mind. Her parents immigrated from Thailand and have worked at weaving their culture into the American lifestyle. "I am proud to be called Thai-American," Jennifer said, "but at times I am the dash between these two different lifestyles." Taking on a heavy load in caring for her younger sisters has meant a constant challenge in balancing her time and schoolwork, but Jennifer has managed to maintain a GPA of 4.2. Her goal is to graduate from a California university with a degree in Environmental Science. The many awards she has received, including Cadet of the Month, Outstanding Academic Excellence, and Student of the Month provide proof as to how hard she is willing to work. Her teacher and coach said that Jennifer is a "mature and solid student of the highest integrity." He added that she works well with others and is a self-starter. Jennifer attitude of "never giving up" has enabled her to build character and has given her a new perspective on people and life. She believes that the Simon Scholarship will help her face new challenges and enable her to make a difference in the world.