Janel Pido - Scholarship Awardee

My name is Janel Pido and I am a Senior at Aquinas High School. I have 2 brothers, one currently a sophomore at Aquinas. I have been on varsity volleyball since my freshman year as an outside hitter. I am also involved with varsity track and I compete in triple jump, long jump, and high jump. Outside of school, I also compete internationally in taekwondo and am a USA Taekwondo athlete. I am a member of campus ministry in which we help other develop our faith and lead retreats.

For senior year, I plan to keep up with maintaining my grades as well as performing well on my sports. I look forward to making the last of our memories with my class and spending time with those who I have formed great friendships with.

In college, I plan to play volleyball with a major in nursing or pre-med. In the future I would like to be a doctor in Sports Medicine.

Landon Bonadiman - Scholarship Awardee

Hello, my name is Landon Bonadiman and I am a senior at Aquinas High School. I have two brothers and one sister. My father attended Aquinas High School along with his nine other siblings and he graduated in the class of 91. I am involved in ASB, I am captain of the water polo team, golf, president of ski and snowboard club, co-President of the mob squad (school spirit/student section at games), and I am a member of the praise and worship team for school masses.

My goals for senior year at Aquinas are to get good grades, have a successful water polo and golf season and have an awesome year as a whole. My plans after college are to attend either Texas Christian University or Clemson University and major in marketing and minor in real estate. I hope to eventually be involved in business and give back to Aquinas high school.

I am truly blessed and thankful to receive the LaRiviere scholarship and I am thankful to all of the donors that make this possible every year. Note: At his 2021 Graduation, Landon Bonadiman received the Falcon Spirit Award and he planned to attend TCU.

Bernadette Velasco - Scholarship Awardee

My name is Bernadette Velasco. I have 1 older brother along with my mother, and outside of my academics, I’m part of the Stepping Stones program at St. Bernadine’s Hospital. I also participated in the school’s theatre productions.

Outside of school extracurriculars, I’m part of a mentorship program with Rad Sechrist. For my senior year, I intend to have graduated with high honors and a completed portfolio to apply to art schools with.

My dream college would be CalArts and by the end of my time in college, I’d have a career as a Story Artist.

Juan Velasquez - Scholarship Awardee

Hi! I’m Juan Velasquez, a rising senior at Aquinas High School. I have two brothers, my grandmother, my dog, and my mom and dad at home. I love extracurricular activities; at Aquinas I am on the water polo team and the swim team captain, a part of Campus Ministry, and the President of a Club aiming to make improvements around our school.

Outside of Aquinas, I am a co-chair on the Youth Grantmakers Committee of San Bernardino, I volunteer at St. Bernadines Hospital, and enjoy playing the piano.

I’m so excited to come back to Aquinas, finish up my senior year, and prepare myself for college.

I am hoping to attend U.C., but wouldn’t mind going out of state. I’m hoping to go into healthcare, and thinking about becoming an Oncologist as a future career.

Note: at his 2021 Graduation, Juan Velasquez received the St. Thomas Aquinas Leadership Award and planned to attend Columbia University.

Gabriela Zendejas - Scholarship Awardee

I’m Gabriela Zendejas and I am a senior at Aquinas High School. I’m on the Varsity Girls Tennis team and the Varsity Cheer squad. I’m involved in multiple clubs such as the International Club, Broadcasting Club, and the Environmental Club.

I’m a member of the Presidential Ambassador Program, our Campus Ministry Team, National Honors Society, and was picked for a Kairos Retreat Leader.

My goals for this year is to make the most out of my last year high school year and then I want to attend a 4-year University.

Mrs. Theresa Pesta - Teacher of the Year Awardee

Theresa Pesta has been teaching at Aquinas for over 30 years. She started at Aquinas in 1989. Her philosophy of education as a teacher is to keep growing, not only in teaching skills, but teaching styles as well.

In her words: "Our students learn in so many different ways. I try to use different styles to reach them, especially during these difficult times."

At Aquinas, My favorite day isCareer Day. The reason for this is because so many alums come back here to talk about their college experiences and their careers. I feel so proud and happy for them. It is such blessing to see them again (and pictures of the families).

I am truly honored to be selected by the LaRiviere Society for this honor.

Mrs Theresa A Pesta, M.R.E., Ethics Department Chair, and Apple teacher. (Editors note: Aquinas was one of the first "Apple" schools in the state, and was a leader in that regard. a very special distinction, and we're quite sure Mrs. Pesta did a lot with this program). Quite an accomplishment, Mrs Pesta! Thank you.

Your recognition as the LRS Teacher of the Year was well deserved! We're sure Father Earl would be pleased in the difference you have made to this time honored institution. [Teacher of the Year receives a $500 bonus from the LRS Scholarship Fund]