Congratulations to the Students of the Month for December, Peyton Heermance and Ayanda White, who were honored at the Angels-Murphys Rotary luncheon this past Thursday, December 11 in Murphys. The following information was shared about both students.
Peyton Heermance: “Peyton is noted for aiming high in performance. He has maintained amazing grades throughout high school and taken College coursework along with HRS/AP courses. He is in the Top 10% of his class.
Along with his schedule of honors and AP classes, Peyton participated in Golf and Cross Country, helping the latter win team section championship. He has been an active member in California Scholastic Federation and FFA. But, top on his list of accomplishments is his earning Bret Harte’s First National FFA Proficiency Champion in veterinary medicine.
Peyton has served in the community through volunteer hours helping elementary school Cross Country programs. In his limited spare time, he is an avid guitarist. His top college choices include Cal Poly SLO, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Davis. Wherever he lands, Peyton plans to major in animal science which will lead to a career as a veterinarian.”
Ayanda White: “Ayanda sets ambitious goals for herself, yet she tends to prefer staying under the radar. She has completed both college courses and AP/Honors coursework and ranks seventh in her class with a 4.2 cumulative GPA.
Originally from South Africa, Ayanda came to the U.S. in 2022. Her first language was Zulu Sign Language, which she learned to communicate with her brother, who is deaf.
Ayanda has been a multi-sport athlete for the Bullfrogs, participating in swimming, basketball, soccer, dance, and water polo—earning all-league honors and SVC Defensive Player of the Year in the latter. She was also chosen by her peers as Homecoming Queen and has served as class president for three years.
Her community service includes volunteering at the Frog Jump, participating in the Lynx Project in Alaska, and helping with local food drives. Ayanda’s top college choices are San Diego State and USC, where she intends to major in business. After college, she hopes to own and operate an escape room.”
Photo courtesy of Angels-Murphys Rotary Club.