2024 Superintendent’s 21st Century Award Recipients
The SFUSD Graduate Profile serves as the anchor for Vision 2025 and identifies the knowledge, skills, dispositions and behaviors required by our 21st century world. Our goal is for SFUSD students to reflect the Graduate Profile, each in their own unique way, by the time they graduate.
Every year, Spark* SF Public Schools recognizes six graduating seniors who exemplify the characteristics of the Graduate Profile with a Superintendent’s 21st Century Award.
Congratulations to the following students from SFUSD’s Class of 2024!
Hannah Chikere - Ready to Create
When Hannah Chikere enrolled in Lowell High School, her aspirations to be a leader prompted her to step outside of her comfort zone and meet new people. She joined the school’s Black Student Union, where she fostered community but found it challenging to focus in school because of ongoing social justice struggles and having to wear a spine brace.
Through encouragement from her school counselor to seek accommodations, Hannah grew in her leadership skills as a Co-President of her school’s Black Student Union. She also serves as President of the SFUSD Student Advisory Council, where she has helped organize Youth Summits and advocates for more wellness resources, school safety practices, and racial equity. Hannah also participated in the SFUSD High School Task Force and worked with SFUSD’s College and Career Program in Black Star Rising and Working With Children.
Hannah recognizes that as an advocate and caring leader, she must prioritize planning and outreach, as well as resilience and perseverance, and be creative at the center of the solutions she strives for. As her chemistry teacher noted, Hannah won’t stand for injustice. From reflecting on challenges to identifying moments of joy during her time in SFUSD, Hannah is Ready to Create.
Tyler Choi - Ready to Lead, Ready to Work with Others
Tyler Choi didn’t always see himself as a leader. Growing up, Tyler avoided stepping outside his comfort zone and was nervous even leading group projects.
When the pandemic hit, Tyler realized he longed to connect with others and with the support of his teachers, joined several clubs where he grew into leadership roles. He eventually gained the confidence to start his own club, SASHV (Students Against Sexual Harassment and Violence). He entered student government as a member of the Events Committee his junior year, being promoted to the Committee Chair of the Mission Cup (his school’s version of a pep rally) and eventually being elected to serve as president of Mission Leadership. In this role, Tyler learned that leading groups of students requires him to consider everyone’s background and needs to ensure all students are included – he arranged for student translators, made sure students with disabilities could participate in events, and helped newcomer students become more involved in the school. When leading lessons about Sexual Harassment with his peers, Tyler went out of his way to ensure that every student had an opportunity to speak.
As his U.S. History teacher pointed out, “Tyler doesn’t just suggest solutions, he actively participates in creating positive change in our community.” By breaking out of the walls he had put up for himself and developing leadership skills in community building and public speaking, Tyler is Ready to Lead, Ready to Work With Others.
Kimberly Nguyen - Ready to Think, Learn and Grow
Kimberly Nguyen’s dedication to community service comes from the heart and is amplified by growing up in a disadvantaged area where she was surrounded by others in need.
Raised by hardworking, immigrant parents who settled in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, she got to know the faces of those surrounding her, listening to their stories, and finding ways to give back such as by knitting blankets in the winter for unhoused people.
As a student in her school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, Kimberly gave a speech while running for senior class secretary that contained humorous anecdotes further showcasing her positive attitude, which led to her winning the election by a landslide.
She has grown in her leadership skills and further developed her personal skills including self learning American Sign Language. Her awareness of transformative leadership in racial and health equity led to her nomination for the California Endowment’s Voices for Change Award by the Southeast Asian Development Center. With her resilience and determination to share her community’s stories in service of positive change as an aspiring Clinical Psychologist, Kimberly is Ready to Think, Learn and Grow.
Sebastian Cordovez - Ready to Tackle a Changing World
Sebastian Cordovez learned Spanish and Mandarin language skills at SFUSD. He credits his SFUSD teachers with catalyzing his love of reading, encouraging him to accelerate his math courses to prepare him for a career in biomedical engineering, and supporting him with enrolling in a summer college biology course through SFUSD’s dual enrollment program with City College of San Francisco.
His school counselor notes the many clubs Sebastian has joined, including fencing team, Provide Club, Key Club, and that he was a founding member of the Outdoor Club, as evidence of his curiosity and dedication to learning. He competed on his high school’s Cross Country, and Track and Field teams.
A great “question asker,” Sebastian basks in the diversity of cultures and languages afforded to him through his time in SFUSD and in his employment at Exploratorium, where he learned even more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), teamwork, and the commitment and growth that comes from a year-round job. With his love for learning and expanding his horizons any chance he gets, Sebastian is Ready to Tackle a Changing World.
Fredy Denilson Vasquez Veliz - Ready to Be Your Best
Fredy’s academic journey began at a school in Guatemala. Moving to the U.S. at age 13, Fredy spoke little English and lived with his grandparents, who did not have the resources to encourage his schooling. Fortunately, several teachers at James Lick Middle School spent extra time helping Fredy as he developed a greater interest in learning.
Then, during the pandemic, Fredy began feeling isolated. He found inspiration from several videos that taught him how to apply discipline and how sometimes people’s own beliefs about themselves can prevent them from succeeding, Fredy realized, “What was holding me back from learning was me.”
He quickly found success when he put his energy into doing his schoolwork. Now, as a teacher assistant in the SFUSD Internship Program at his high school, Fredy works with recent newcomer students to help them with their English and history homework.
He also has interned with the SFUSD Bond Program, becoming a student leader who oversees his group of interns by building trust with his supervisor and peers. His school counselor noted that Fredy’s own transformation to prioritize his health has inspired him to want to become a doctor. On the path to becoming the first person in his family to attend college, Fredy is Ready to Be His Best.
Stephanie Liang - Ready for Career, Ready for Life
Raised by immigrant parents who work 12-hours shifts, Stephanie Liang is used to taking on many different roles in her family and community. From volunteering at the SF Marin Food Bank, UCSF’s Teen Wellness Connection program, UCSF’s nursing unit, and the California Youth Crisis Line, to practicing her Cantonese with non-English speaking families to help them access additional resources, Stephanie has always been ready to lend an extra hand.
In her junior year’s Critical Thinking and Social Change class, Stephanie was drawn to addressing disparities among her student body. She became a student advisor, supporting her classmates in peer mediation and mentorship by emphasizing repairing harm as prevention, and joined her school’s wellness team as a Youth Outreach Worker.
Her dedication to supporting peers is evidenced by the lunchtime workshops she leads for students on socioemotional wellness and anxiety-relief protocols to combat mental health impacts from the pandemic.
After high school, Stephanie plans to pursue a career in psychiatry. With her commitment to wellness and supporting her community, Stephanie is Ready for Career, Ready for Life.
