Four Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) seniors were awarded full scholarships by the Angels Baseball Foundation in honor of their outstanding academic achievements, dedicated leadership abilities, and commitment to their schools’ Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs. 

The NMUSD students recognized this year are:

 

Aolani Gonzalez-Lopez, Newport Harbor High School (NHHS)

Known as a natural leader, Aolani Gonzalez-Lopez is the Varsity Cheer captain, executive officer for the school’s California Scholarship Federation, historian for NHHS’s chapter of the National Honor Society, and president of the Teen Advisory Board at the Costa Mesa Public Library. She’s also a member of the Language Ambassadors, Link Crew, and Pep Squad. Gonzalez-Lopez will study mechanical engineering at the University of California, Irvine in the fall.

 

Adelaide Juelfs, Costa Mesa High School

Described as having an insatiable hunger for intellectual growth, Adelaide Juelfs finds connections all around her. She is an accomplished poet who has published a 50-page collection of her work through Barnes & Noble Press, and she is an editor for The Empty Inkwell Review, a nonprofit that hosts workshops and mentors fellow teens globally. Juelfs has also participated in the prestigious Iowa Young Writers’ Studio workshop. As an athlete, she is active on the water polo team. Juelfs has committed to Yale University, where she has been accepted into the Directed Studies program. She intends to double major in English and math.   

 

Paxton Onstott, Early College High School 

A Valedictorian Scholar and U.S. Presidential Education Achievement Award winner, Paxton Onstott is no stranger to accolades. He has also been recognized as a Parent Teacher Student Association Reflections Award winner since 2022. He is involved with his school’s National Honor Society, Save Our Youth, and Kelly’s Closet. He was recently named a 2024 AVID Standout. In addition to being named a 2024 AVID Standout and Angels Scholar, Onstott received a Gates Scholarship and the Orange County Centennial Scholarship, given partly in recognition of his musical abilities. He will attend the  University of California, Santa Barbara, where he intends to study music.

 

Marcelina Sanchez, Early College High School 

In addition to being named an Angels Scholar, Marcelina Sanchez was recognized as a Youth of the Year by the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor and a Superintendent’s Character Trait Award winner for Citizenship. She built upon her leadership experience as a Student Board Member of the NMUSD Board of Education by serving this year as her school’s Associated Student Body president and Community Service Club vice president. She is also a member of Early College’s National Honor Society and has participated in the peer-mentorship CampMed Program at the University of California, Irvine. Sanchez will pursue her goal of becoming a pediatrician by studying biology, human sciences, and child development at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Since 2016, the Angels Baseball Foundation has invested more than $3 million in Orange County scholars, providing funds for tuition, housing, meals, textbooks and study supplies, healthcare, transportation, and more. Scholarship recipients are also given access to the foundation staff for advice, guidance, and mentorship.

This year’s Angels Scholars will be recognized at the June 4 NMUSD Board of Education meeting and during a baseball game at Angels Stadium this summer.