Theme: Empowerment

Brea Olinda High School students embrace their unique identities and hear different perspectives every day. As individuals and communities alike are increasingly divided by conflict, it becomes critical to have open dialogues. Young voices bring fresh potential amidst this instability, pioneering new ideas in academics, politics, and health on the world stage. Empowerment comes from conversation, and this strength is shared one story at a time.

Brea Olinda High School
789 Wildcat Way, Brea, CA 92821
Brea, California, 92821
United States

Abigail Cerna

Student Speaker

Abigail Cerna is currently a junior at Brea Olinda High School. She is enrolled in all AP classes and is actively involved on and off campus. This year, she has begun volunteering at a hospital, pursuing her interests in the healthcare field along with being a part of multiple school clubs including UNICEF and HOSA. You can also find Abigail on the soccer field, running on the track, playing the piano, or spending time with family and friends. She is especially excited to give this speech to share empowerment of healthcare and essential workers in a time of media bias and false information.

Anwei Forgues

Student Speaker

Anwei Forgues is a junior attending Brea Olinda High School. She is involved in the medical career pathway at school and works as an intern for the school's athletic trainer. Outside of school she works as a referee and is involved in National Charity League, a mother daughter volunteer organization. She also plays varsity soccer for her high school team and is actively engaged in many service clubs on campus. She is excited to share this speech to educate people on healthcare worker empowerment during this time of media bias and false information.

Audrie Pagano

Student Speaker

Audrie Pagano is a lettered scholar at Brea Olinda High School. On campus, she serves as a commissioner in ASB student leadership, is a member of the National Honors society, and participates in various clubs. In the past she has competed in volleyball, medaled in the one hundred meter hurdles, and is now currently conditioning with the wrestling team. Outside of school Audrie is the oldest child in her immediate family, making her the designated babysitter/playmate for her six cousins and younger brother. In her free time she also enjoys playing piano and ukulele, writing, and watching true crime documentaries.

Eric Liu

Student Speaker

Eric Liu is a junior currently attending Brea Olinda High School. He is currently enrolled in engineering programs in this school as his dream is to become a Mechanical Engineer. Outside of school, he volunteers in the Diamond Bar Chinese School every Saturday. Here he helps the teachers by teaching children the Chinese language. Eric also enjoys spending time with his friends and families, doing physical recreational activities such as going out into nature and hiking. Eric is fully dedicated to pursuing his dreams and works hard toward that path in school daily.

Joseph Saez

Student Speaker

Joseph Saez is a senior currently enrolled at Brea Olinda High School. He has a profound curiosity for the world and loves learning new things. In addition, Joseph has a strong passion for music and the humanities. When he's not at school, he can be found listening to music, playing music with his guitar, ukulele, keyboard, and drums, hanging out with friends, or searching for new knowledge. He’s not 100 percent sure what he wants to do in future but he has many ideas in mind including working in marketing, the music industry, law, or academia.

Lauren Ko

Student Speaker

Lauren Ko is a freshman at Brea Olinda High School. As a hardworking and ambitious student, she works towards high grades and aims for academic achievement. In her first year of high school, she is exploring the different pathways of her interests and finding ways to be involved in both her school and community. Currently, she is a member of the school’s Mock Trial, Speech and Debate, and several of their service clubs. In the future, Lauren hopes to move to New York City and pursue a career in law or journalism.

Sachin Raja

Student Speaker

Sachin Raja is a junior at Brea Olinda High School who is passionate about programming and computer science. He loves learning new skills that enable him to build more complex projects. He enjoys contributing to open-source projects, providing tools to help others. In the future, he hopes to be able to use his skills to help people in need and work on crises threatening our world.

Sophia Li

Student Speaker

Sophia Li is a junior enrolled at Brea-Olinda High School. Recently starting a new phase in her life by transferring to a new school, she hopes to accomplish what she can with her remaining years in high school. Involved in the Global Information Technology Academy (G.I.T.A.) and volunteering and technology-based clubs at BOHS, she hopes to attend a university in California majoring in engineering. Along with her home and school responsibilities, Sophia enjoys listening to music, reading, and watching random informative videos - like TED-Ed. She plans to use this opportunity to grow: for herself and her audience.