WELCOME EVANSTON SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2021!
Jahnese Adams
Jahnese Adams is the second youngest of five, living with her mom and two older sisters. She really enjoys chemistry and math during the school year, as both have introduced her to new and interesting concepts that she would like to continue to pursue. Outside of academics, Jahnese is a part of the “Louder than a Bomb” slam poetry team, supporting her continuous work on her writing career. In the future, she wants to work in sustainable design in architecture. Despite many of her more technical interests, Jahnese works a lot on creative writing and art during her free time.
Dazel (Autumn) Anderson
Dazel (Autumn) Anderson is the daughter of Donna Naviamos, her Filipino mother, and Othello Anderson, her black and white father. She has a younger sister who is a rising sophomore at ETHS. One of her favorite classes at ETHS is history, because she enjoys learning about different perspectives and how past actions affect current events. Her other favorite class is personal finance, because she was taught financial skills and strategies that she can utilize for long-term success in life. She made High Honor Roll during her Freshman year and the first semester of Sophomore year. As an extracurricular, she was one of the managers for the ETHS Girl’s Varsity Basketball Team. She is also a member of ETHS’s Softball Team. She would like to have a career in either business or law, because she wants to enjoy doing something she’s passionate about but with financial stability as well. Something she loves to do is write poetry.
Gabriela Arce
Gabriela Arce goes by the nickname, Gaby. She comes from a family of 5 and is the middle child. She has a 10-year-old sister named April and a 20-year-old brother named Alfredo. Her favorite class at ETHS is Wellness because she likes learning about topics such as health, the body systems, drugs, etc. She played soccer freshman year and something she’s passionate about/love to do is play guitar and sing. She wants to study nursing as she goes on in school.
Hallie Brown
Hailie Brown is one of six grandchildren and the daughter of Nicole Brown. Her favorite class is Civics because she likes to learn about history, and the different ways she can help her community. To encourage school spirit she became a cheerleader and she plays badminton. She hopes to pursue a career in business and she loves reading mystery books, cheerleading, and listening to music.
Ivette Cardenas
Ivette Cardenas is the daughter of Mexican parents and is the middle child of 5 who were born and raised here in Evanston IL. Her favorite class at ETHS is Chemistry. While she is not involved in any sports, she has been focused on the Japanese oriented clubs after school such as the Japan Bowl and Tea Ceremony. Since she is one of many students who have been chosen to go on the 2020 Japan Trip, she has been well engaged in their after school activities and fundraising events. She hopes to pursue a career in forensics and law enforcement field. She is really passionate when it comes to animals, especially birds, because they are such fascinating creatures that come in all different shapes and sizes.
Kalea Chatman
Kalea Chatman an incoming junior at Evanston Township High School. She was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. Kalea prides herself for being a very active person. She enjoys participating in sports and is on the pomkits and softball team. She loves to write and learn about her history, which is one of the reasons she enjoys English and History so much. She really looks forward to building a bond with her Evanston Scholars cohort and is looking forward to also having extra support and the structure that the Evanston Scholars program provides.
Kamiya Crayton
Adrian Cyrus
Adrian Cyrus comes from a Persian family, and has an older brother. Adrian’s favorite class at ETHS is Ap US History, because he loves learning about events that have shaped what our present looks like. At ETHS, Adrian plays soccer, wrestles, and is a part of the Same club. In the future Adrian hopes to pursue a career in the engineering field. Adrian is also very passionate about poetry and working with youth.
Azalia Gibbs
Azalia Gibbs is the daughter of African American parents and has an older sister who is in college. Her favorite class at ETHS is Civics, because she enjoys discussion about current events in the world. Azalia hopes to pursue the career of being a physical therapist, because helping people is something she’s really passionate about. Outside the classroom she’s a student athletic trainer for ETHS.
Donald Gibbs
I live with my grandmother and she is extremely supportive. I am African American and I have 4 siblings that are all older then me. My favorite class at ETHS is any science class because they are extremely fun. Especially when we do a lot of labs. Im playing basketball for the school this year so that is my sport. My future academic goal is to get all A's, Junior and Senior years. I love to lift weights and hang out with friends.
Gerson Gomez
I am Gerson Gomez. I come from a hispanic family of six kids with two hard working parents that raised all of us. My favorite class at ETHS was chemistry, it was a class that was challenging and it taught me to be prepared for any given situation. Chemistry was fun and I loved that I learned new things everyday. My involvement in ETHS is programs such as green team, student ambassador and more to come. For the future, I am preparing to do whatever it takes to raise my gpa up through the roof and find a college to call home. I also take an interest in nursing which is what I hope to pursue in the future. Throughout my life I have always loved to experience new things that will get me out of my comfort zone. This is why I am very outgoing and I am not afraid to take a challenge.
Michaelle Gonzalez Abrego
Michaelle Gonzalez is the second oldest out of five. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who migrated to the U.S. to give their kids a better life. Her favorite class at ETHS is AP Spanish because she loves to learn new things about the Spanish language and culture. Michaelle is part of the ETHS Girls' Lacrosse team. She also participates in a school club called Latinx Quest. She received the Evanston Hispanic Youth Achievement Award and continues to earn awards, receiving the Freshman and Sophmore Honors Society Award along with the Latino Honor Roll Certificates. She really enjoys learning new things and hopes to learn many languages. Michaelle's goal is to major in Biology and Nursing, in hopes of pursuing a career in the Medical Field.
Moya Guy
Moya Guy is the daughter of Jamaican parents. Some basic background information about her is that her favorite color is blue and she loves to travel. Her favorite subject in school is science because she likes to experiment and try new things. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and drawing. Her favorite things to draw are eyes, but she also enjoys drawing flowers and abstract things because there is no limit or rules to how she draws it. One thing people may not know about her is that she enjoys taking road trips and traveling with her family. Another thing that many people may not know about her is that she was born in Jamaica and moved to Evanston when she was about six years old with her dad and older sister. In the future, she would like to be part of a business or have one of her own.
Laiba Idrees
Laiba Idrees is the daughter of Pakistani immigrant parents and has two brothers, one of which is also an Evanston Scholar. Her favorite class is Algebra 2 because it requires a lot of logical thinking and other types of skills that can be useful later in life. She also attended knitting club, which she enjoyed because she could knit little squares that would be knit into a blanket and given to people in need. Since she enjoys math, she wants to become an accountant. An activity she is passionate about is baking, she specifically loves to bake cookies and brownies.
Valery Jean-Jacques
Valery Jean-Jacques is the son of Haitian parents, who were born in the mountains of Ti-Goave, Haiti. He lives in Evanston with his mother and sister. A personal favorite class of his is Algebra in Entrepreneurship because he loves math as it challenges him and he likes learning how to be successful based off of something that he made. The year round sports that he’s involved in are Football, wrestling and track and field. When he goes to college, he sees himself doing something with finance and also being an entrepreneur. On his free time, he enjoys going out with his friends and riding his bike.
Lukman Jinadu
Lukman Jinadu is the son of Nigerian parents and has two older sisters. His parents live in Nigeria with his other sister. He lives with his oldest sister and her son, Jamal. Lukman attends Evanston Township High School and he is an incoming junior. His favorite subject is history because he hopes to pursue a career in a field that is history related. Lukman is involved in soccer at school and he is really passionate about it. He is very involved in his academics as he has been awarded with the honor roll three times since he transferred to ETHS. Lukman is also very passionate about music, mainly rap and hip/hop, particularly artists like Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole.
Nicholas Kaufman
I’m an African American, I have 2 sisters on my mothers side and 3 brothers and 1 sister on my father's side. I am the youngest of 7. My favorite class at ETHS is culinary because it teaches me a skill I can use in my everyday life. I am involved in ETHS varsity football I play Linebacker and also special teams. In my future I hope to find a hands on job maybe something like an orthopedic surgeon or physical therapist. I am also passionate about working out and staying in shape and health.
Ayanna King
Ayanna King is the daughter of Belizean parents and she was born in Belize, where she lived for 10 years until she moved to Evanston, IL in 2012. Ayanna has 2 half-siblings - a younger brother and a younger sister; she is the oldest. Her favorite class is Culinary because Ayanna enjoys cooking at home, and culinary helped her learn some new recipes and helped her become a better cook. Outside of the classroom, Ayanna is a member of the SOAR leadership board. She also works as a part-time sales associate at GAP, Inc, and is a part-time cashier at Chipotle. In a few years, Ayanna hopes to go to college to pursue law or the medical field to become a civil rights attorney or a pediatric registered nurse. Ayanna loves to play video games or sleep when she has free time.
Ketsia Lopez-Segura
Ketsia Lopez is the daughter of Mexican parents and will be the last sibling of three to graduate from Evanston Township High School. Her favorite class at ETHS was Geometry in Construction because she enjoyed building a house with the rest of her classmates. Aside from building, she is a member of the Latino Quest club and participates in any event that involves dancing such as the Latinx Summit. She hopes to pursue a career in architecture and is passionate about dancing.
Marcus Louis-Charles
Marcus Louis-Charles is the son of Haitian parents and has one younger brother who attends Chute Middle School. His favorite class at ETHS is Honors Chemistry because he loves to challenge himself and complete labs that are fun but also related to the topic. Outside of the classroom, Marcus plays basketball, participates in Emerge, and he’s a member of the Sophomore Honors Society. He hopes to pursue a career in medicine and loves to play basketball, especially with his little brother.
Maria Maldonado
Maria Maldonado is the oldest child of Mexican parents and has one younger sister who attends Washington Elementary. Her parents were born in Mexico and came to America in their early 20’s. Since then, they lived in Florida for 6 years and then came to Evanston in 2007. Her favorite class at ETHS is Algebra 2 or English. She loves to challenge herself through math problems but also wants to improve her writing skills. She gets inspired to write a lot, but still hopes to learn more about how she can improve her skills. Outside of the classroom, Maria is involved in the athletic training program after school for all four seasons of the year and also does volunteer work at an after school program known as Y.O.U at King Arts School. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical field and is very passionate about traveling and experiencing new cultures.
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Aryel Mason
Aryel Mason is the oldest of six children between her mother and father. She’s a natural born leader who loves to solve problems and is an out-the-box thinker. At ETHS her favorite class is Algebra because she’s so strategic and intentional. Aryel is a member of the Cheer Team and involved in the Random Acts of Kindness Club at ETHS. She is passionate about helping others and uplifting them. She looks forward to attending an HBCU and pursuing a degree in either education, political science or medicine.
Najiah Osborne
My name is Najiah and I am an only child, I live with my mother. My favorite class here at ETHS would have to be English and Literature, I love to read and write. I currently write for the Evanstonian and plan on doing so for the rest of Highschool. For the future, I want to get a major in Journalism or Political Science, because I am very passionate about solving the many social injustices there are within this country.
Astrid Pene Njine
Mateo Perez
Mateo Perez is the son of immigrant parents and has one younger sister who attends Chute Middle School. His favorite classes are Graphic Design and Business Management. He loves Graphic Design because he likes challenging himself to create new and innovative ways to spread a message without the need of words, as well as mixing colors and styles to create new things. He also loves Business Management because he really enjoys the idea of someday owning a successful business, that creates a positive change in the world. Mateo has been in the ETHS Swim Team for the past two years and hopes to continue swimming even if it’s not for a team. As of right now, he is unsure of what career he would like to pursue, however he is interested in architecture, as well as a business oriented career. He loves listening to music, watching movies and Red Dead Redemption 2. He is also passionate about traveling and meeting new people.
Josephine Ramirez
Dazel (Autumn) Anderson is the daughter of Donna Naviamos, her Filipino mother, and Othello Anderson, her black and white father. She has a younger sister who is a rising sophomore at ETHS. One of her favorite classes at ETHS is history, because she enjoys learning about different perspectives and how past actions affect current events. Her other favorite class is personal finance, because she was taught financial skills and strategies that she can utilize for long-term success in life. She made High Honor Roll during her Freshman year and the first semester of Sophomore year. As an extracurricular, she was one of the managers for the ETHS Girl’s Varsity Basketball Team. She is also a member of ETHS’s Softball Team. She would like to have a career in either business or law, because she wants to enjoy doing something she’s passionate about but with financial stability as well. Something she loves to do is write poetry.
Imani Reid
Imani is of Jamaican descent and often visits with her family there. Imani enjoys working out, eating and trying new Things . Imani’s favorite class so far is Ap Lang and Composition ,because it is a class that challenges her and opens her mind to new perspectives. When Imani gets older she would like to become a defense attorney or something within the law enforcement field. Imani has a passion for politics. She loves to stand up for what she believes in.
Ali Resendiz
Casey Romero
Casey Romero is the daughter of two very assiduous Salvadoran parents. She has one younger sister which is currently a student at Chute Middle school and another which is due to arrive soon. She enjoys learning about science because she likes to learn about the world around her and also likes a good challenge. Outside of school, Casey is a member of AVID Leadership and also plays soccer. She wishes to one day to be successful as a plastic surgeon and really enjoys spending her time dancing and having fun with her family.
Justin Royal
Justin Royal is African-American and the only son to his mom. He has one older sister who shares his interest of video games and animation. Justin’s mother works as a financial analyst for AT&T. His favorite class at ETHS is intro to programming and game design. He loves any class that involves technology, design and that allows him to continuously grow and improve in his passion of being a video game developer. He is also very fond of English. Justin has participated in Graphic Design Club, Japanese Club and All About Games Club. He is a member of the Sophomore Honors Society. He is also a member of the ETHS tennis team. In his spare time, he likes to practice with his coach improving his tennis skills as well as reading wired magazine and tennis magazine. He helps assist his coach with setting up tennis tournaments alongside volunteer work at Misericordia during the holiday season.
Angelica Segura
Angelica Segura comes from a family of six; two parents, two older sisters, and a younger brother. So far her favorite class at ETHS was Chemistry Honors because she has a love for science. For extracurricular activities, she is in various clubs, but her favorite club would be Team ASAP. Team ASAP has given her multiple resources that she can use at ETHS which has been very resourceful. She aspires to go to college and major in science and become a nurse and a doctor. She is very passionate about succeeding but also playing her viola.
Kaniece Shaw
Hello, my name is Kaniece Shaw. I have two younger brothers and 1 dog. My dog is a chocolate Labrador and he’s really cool. I come from a Jamaican background as both of my parents are Jamaican. One activity that I like to do on my free time is play volleyball and listen to music. My favorite color is sky blue and one thing that people don’t know about me is that I’m afraid of butterflies. My favorite subject in school is English because some of the essays we write are about topics I’m interested in or learning about.
Jamar Smith
Willow So
Willow So is the daughter of Debra Sawyer and Richard So, and she was adopted from China. Her favorite class at ETHS is English because she enjoys reading and discussing books as well as how they relate to issues in her own life. Outside of the classroom she participates in band as well as the debate team. She hopes to pursue a career working with people. She is passionate about reading and playing music.
Frida Soto
Frida Soto, daughter of Latinx parents, has an older brother who is finishing high school. Her Favorite classes at ETHS are English and Civics, because she enjoys reading, writing, and also likes to be aware of her community. Outside of the classroom, Frida plays soccer. She hopes to pursue a career in law where she can help people fulfill their potential and is very passionate about creating art.
Christopher Tamayo
Christopher Tamayo has one younger sister who is going to be an 8th grader at Chute Middle School, and both his parents are Latino American. His favorite class at ETHS is his Accounting class because he really enjoys working with numbers and anything that involves math in any wa. He really likes to play soccer and is hoping to make the team this year for ETHS. He hopes in the future he can be a successful businessman or have a career in accounting. Outside of school he loves to be active and always keeps himself busy.
Kevin Venturina
Kevin Venturina is the son of Filipino parents and has an older sister who is currently off the Columbia College Chicago. His favorite class is anything with music because in those classes he uses his own creativity to create any genre of music he wants. Outside the books and studies, he is vice president of both the All About Games and Cartoon Club. He doesn’t know exactly what his career choice is but he is thinking about working as a music producer or a therapist of some sort.
Reina Waters
Reina Waters is the daughter of two African American parents and has two sisters: Tatiana and Sienna. She enjoys participating on the girls bowling team at Evanston Township High School and athletic training as well. Her favorite class at ETHS is history because she loves to learn about the past. Reina wants to pursue a career teaching young children. She loves being around family and spending time with her mom.
Mekhi Williams
Mekhi Williams is one of nine siblings and his ethnicity is Jamaican-American since his father was born and raised in Jamaica. His favorite class at ETHS is English because he loves to write songs and lyrics and poems. He plays for both ETHS's football and basketball team and is also a member of Emerge ( a community service program). He loves music and everything about it so that is an option for his career but he is still undecided.
Miguel Wong
Miguel Wong is the son of two Mexican parents. He has two younger siblings, one who is entering his freshman year at ETHS, and another who is entering the 7th grade at Nichols Middle School. His favorite class at ETHS is Music Technology because he likes music, and is interested in the production of music. Something he has achieved at ETHS is being a part of the ETHS Latinx Honor Roll. Some of his academic goals are to graduate high school with good grades, and attend college. He likes listening to music and going to the park with his friends and siblings.
