Issue link: http://fairmont.uberflip.com/i/446534
During her valedictory speech at Fairmont Prep's 2014 Commencement, Sonali nayak '14 reflected over the course of 15 years how Fairmont has been a place of many firsts in her life. From reading her first chapter book to earning prestigious academic awards, she appreciated the fact that Fairmont is a close-knit community that not only nurtures, but also encourages students to do their best. Sonali was inspired by this student culture dedicated to achieving excellence and overcoming challenges, whether it was taking a difficult aP Calculus bC math class or memorizing an entire play in Shakespearean English. her extensive list of academic accomplishments included aP Scholar with Distinction, the aSEP Student of the year, ib Scholar award, Scholar athlete award, and many others. her leadership roles and involvements included aSb vice President, varsity volleyball Team Captain, ib Diploma Candidate, advanced Science and Engineering Program, national honor Society, and Spanish national honor Society. She also volunteered for the Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development, abilityFirst, and the Saturday Tongan Education Program. as a result of being such an active member of Fairmont Prep's vibrant campus community, Sonali is now a freshman at northwestern university where she is involved in the honors Program in medical Education at the Feinberg School of medicine. 2014 sTuDEnT sPOTlighT "For the past fifteen years, Fairmont has been a place of many firsts for me. It is the place where I read my first chapter book, wrote my first essay, and made my first of many life-long friends. During my time here, I have realized that Fairmont is a close-knit community that not only nurtures, but also encourages students to pursue excellence. – sonali nayak, class of 2014 Sonali nayak unWavERing PuRSuiT OF ExCEllEnCE north Tustin Campus third grader kamran ansari won a video contest to help solve a significant global environmental challenge. he was one of the six winners in the DiSnEy big hERO 6 – xPRiZE ChallEngE. The contest encouraged children to use science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics to develop innovative approaches for addressing global problems. For his winning entry, kamran proposed a product packaging rating system to inform consumers of the wastefulness of a product's packaging. his system allows consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions by choosing products with less packaging waste. "i selected this topic because i think packaging has such a negative impact on the environment, and i want to find ways to solve this problem," said kamran. "i am extremely honored and grateful for having won. i cannot believe it!" kaMRan anSaRi EnviROnmEnTal SOluTiOn WinS DiSnEy SCiEnCE ChallEngE 5 | www.fairmontschools.com