Unsung Santa Cruz started as a series of stories that Lookout journalists wrote, sparking in little-known local heroes and highlighting the unseen work they do. Now, Unsung Heroes has become a student-led story series, part of the Lookout’s journalism scholarship contest. So far, through that program, we have produced more than 150 stories about the unsung.
As a second-year UCSC education fellow (intern) for The Humanities Institute here at Lookout Santa Cruz. My focus is on educational resources for students and educators throughout Santa Cruz County. I’ve had the pleasure of reading and grading each and every scholarship entry for the past two years. I have been amazed. Having come to UCSC nearly 4 years ago from Los Angeles, my eyes have been opened to the vitality of Santa Cruz County, and its strong community betterment commitment.
This year, 85 entries profiled parents, doctors, volunteers, counselors, coaches, and more. There were so many stories of people who, after working their full-time jobs, volunteer in one or two more places. It was truly inspiring.
Having read all those entries makes me tip my hat to all the teachers out there who grade things every day, really putting into perspective how hard teaching is.
While reading the entries, I was struck by how each student’s story had its own twist and play on the project. Some students took a historical approach, telling the life story of their hero while also discussing how they help the community today. Some students took a very personal approach, which led to some very touching and sweet stories.
Before I read all the entries for the past two years, I had an idea of what an unsung hero was. I thought that an unsung hero was someone who helps the community, is a good person, and someone who is not celebrated for the things they do. And those things do make a hero, but what a true unsung hero is someone who is influential, sometimes without even knowing it. It’s someone who probably doesn’t think of themselves as a hero – but does heroic acts anyway. It’s someone who feels responsible for others and their well-being. A hero is imperfect and makes mistakes, but a real hero acknowledges them and becomes a better person because of it. The best stories I read all had an element of what a true hero is, and these stories were often the best because they capitalized and understood the makeup of an unsung hero.
As we conclude this year’s process, I want to thank every student who wrote a story and applied to this scholarship, and to everyone in our schools who helped get the word out about the scholarship.
Finally, I believe it’s important to acknowledge all of the unsung heroes and students who submitted a story to show just how many unsung heroes there really are. The first name is the student who wrote the story, and the second name is the hero (example: Student name: Unsung hero)
Nathaniel Gutierrez: Jennifer Gonzales Huerta, Isabella Marconi: Laura Lucas, Brady Evans: Tom Bentley, Neal Valby: Darcy Valby, Lola Steinemtz: Carl Steinmetz, Johnny Abbott: Valerie Abbott, Kimberly Baires: David Carrillo, Cielo Cortez: Brenda Ruiz, Trent Hadreas: Christina Hadreas, Poiema Whinnery: Sam Mitchell, Jason Fuller: Diana Magor, Grace Ramsey: Katie Gabriel-Cox, Carlos Guerrero: Thomas Bentley, Jacob Workman: Stacia Workman, Alina Avila-Dillon: Elicia Hammond, Molly Harbison: Sarah Goldberg, Sofia Huff: Kristina Cabrera, Luke Bregman: Michael Alman, Damien Sanchez: Jana Peal, Lynaea Vallett: Rina Vallett, Matthew Long: Leif Rovick, Veronica Camacho: Samantha Mitchell, Malia Morehead: Shira Barnett, Daniel Bjorn: Troy Kusanovich, Jasmine Velasco: David Werdmuller, Victoria Marquez-Castro: Haley Leifheit, Joshuah Hernandez-Carmona: Horacio , Sarah Cobos: Alexis Keith, Maximiliano Chavarria: Amy, Noemi Nolazco: Ms. White and Mr. Fliesler, Gia Flansburg: Amy Mihal, Mia Agnone: Nina Zopi, Rohit Cardoso: Ivan Cardoso, Sofia Heitmeyer: Ms. Jimenez, Wade Lindsey: Ashley Lindsey, Bradley Long: Joseph Long, Max Goodwin: Zack Olson, Samara Cortazzo: Danny Cortazzo, Atzi Zarate Mendoza: Bri Rudolph, Luke Shoemaker: Dannettee Shoemaker, Layla Dia: Stacy Branson, Jensen Valdez: Branna Banks, Jayden Fugelseth: Christy Fugelseth, Adrian Espindola: Ruby Vazquez, Ruth Neponuceno: Herself, Talula Garcia: Huyana Garcia, Marissa Garcia: Lisa Hyde, Tanya Escalante: Ms. Banks, Damian Aruiza: Matt Marzec, Teala Rodriguez Gleitsman: Forrest Gleitsman, Elaina Lammam: Monica Hanly, Ashley Lopez: Renato de la Hoya Gonzalez, Zoe Vargas: Rick Varges, Joey Burgos: Katrina Del Carlo, Alejandra Cuevas Moran: Sophie Hannah, Jack McMillan: Christina Hadreas, Julissa Bejar: Maria Guadalupe Perez Flores, John Paul Lockwood: Miriam Valenzuela, Connor Heller: Eric Heller, Mayda Juarez-Ortiz: Brad Hubbard, Jared Esquivel: Leonardo Villalobos, Nico Palandrani: Joe Palandrani, Caroline Ortega Cortez: Christopher Webb, Marcella Miller: Kendra Baker, Madelyne Rutherford: Alexie Neall, Lila Dakkuri: Rami Dakkuri, Samuel Manchester: Calvin Hom, Jasmine Flores Gregorio: Kaite Simpson, Emma Niizawa: Alison Niizawa, Dylan Turzak: Todd Hoffman, Valentina Cornejo: Sindy Hernandez, Emily Hernandez-Delgado: Alicia Diaz-Infante, Areli Martinez: Zack Currier, Andrew Rocha: Maricella Baron, Lupita Vega: Camilla Alkhassadeh, Yasmin Alvarez Tamayo: Amy Smet, Jakob Lorenz: Veronica Valle, Daniela Tamayo: Ms. Trish, Miles Williams: Andres Polanco, Kimberly Garcia-Aguilar: Palmira Gallo, Juan Quintero: Mr. Fliesler, Adan Vaca: Ms. Banks.
