My name is Cody Jones. I am a current senior at Cal Lutheran. I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications. I throw the javelin for Cal Lutheran and for Team USA's Paralympic Team. The Los Angeles Dodgers are my favorite baseball team. People are my passion. I am a youth leader at Discovery Church. I co-lead a small group of amazing 6th grade guys. I have been known to change my hair color for the youth group. I was recently on yellow team for our youth camp. I went all out and bleached my hair. Whatever the future may hold for me, I want to be in a position where I can help those around me.

I was introduced to the Paralympic movement when Cathy Sellers, the Director of U.S. Paralympic Track and Field, emailed my high school baseball coach.  She read an article about how I played baseball with cerebral palsy and thought that I would make an excellent thrower. Due to cerebral palsy on the left side of my body, I learned to catch and throw the baseball with my right hand. My style of play was similar to that of pro-baseball player, Jim Abbott.  In the next few months, I graduated high school and made California Lutheran University’s Track and Field team and fell in love with the javelin. I didn’t know which end of the javelin was up the first time he held one, but with the help of coaches and teammates, I eventually broke and rebroke the America’s record for his F38 classification. My furthest throw to date was in 2015 with a mark of 44.83 meters. I currently ranked 6th in the world for my classification. I did not make the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games team, but I hope to train hard enough to make the 2017 London World Championship team.

I would like to thank the Community Leaders Association for their amazing support! They are helping me reach my educational and personal goals. That is a genuine gift.

My name is Julia Kearns and I am majoring in Accounting and minoring in Global Studies at California Lutheran University. I am a two-time CLA scholarship recipient, and I could not be more grateful.

I am entering my senior year at Cal Lu as captain and 4-year scholar athlete of the regal's soccer team. Leadership is a huge part of my life, and I take great pride leading my team on the soccer field and in the weight room. I'm very antsy to start my final season as a regal, and implement my own style of leadership to the program.

CLU has offered me numerous internship opportunities throughout the past couple years. I've completed several internships ranging from different industries to paid and volunteer experiences. I'm most proud of my most recent internship this summer with Ernst & Young. I hope to receive a full-time offer this August, so I have a job waiting for me at the end of senior year. My career goals include starting at EY in Los Angeles, while working to complete my CPA certification. I would not have received the opportunity to work for EY if it wasn't for my Accounting Association at Cal Lu.

For my senior year, I plan to dedicate myself completely to my team during soccer season, while also maintaining a balance as a department assistant for the accounting program. In December, I will start a side job as the head junior varsity soccer coach at my alma mater high school. I am looking forward to enjoying my last year of school and making the most of my college years. I am always thankful for the opportunities Cal Lu has presented me and the financial help as well.

I am beginning my second year at Cal Lutheran and I am a Communication major with an emphasis in Public Relations and Marketing with a minor in Multimedia. Cal Lu has provided me with countless opportunities to discover new friends and talents. On campus I am a Presidential Host, or tour guide, and it is unlike anything I have ever done. But I have discovered it is something I love to do. It has also further cemented in me that I want to pursue a career where I get to meet and interact with people. I have also found lifelong friends in the residence halls and I cannot be more thankful. 

In the community off campus I have been able to serve children with disabilities weekly, which is something I did back home as well.  By serving in this community I have learned lessons in patience and acceptance that can only be learned through real life experiences and not just in a classroom. I have also gotten to help with Habitat for Humanity through an RA program. 

My name is Sonora Carroll and I will be a sophomore this year at Cal Lu. I will be double majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that Cal Lu has made being a first generation college student possible for me.

Last year at CLU, I participated in many extracurricular groups including Interfaith Allies, Dance Multicultural Club, and I the theatre program, where I have been casted in major productions during both semesters. I have been volunteering whenever and wherever I can. Last year I volunteered doing things from repainting stables at a ranch the specializes in teaching disabled children how to ride horses, all the way to helping Ventura County clear out invasive plant species from their water ways. I also have been chosen to become a dormitory Residence Assistant for this academic year in which I will further my ability to lead and prosper.

Leadership and service are core values for me, which do and will continue to carry through my life– in college and beyond. I plan to continue to work toward a more just society through my pursuit of an education in law and political science, while continuing to volunteer and advocate in the areas of international cultural exchange, criminal justice reform, and the end of homelessness and racism in America.  I plan to attend law school and serve in the American criminal justice and political systems, leading toward a more just and better world for all of us. 

Hi my name is Alexandra Stewart and I am majoring in Biochemistry. With 2 siblings in college the CLA scholarship program has made it possible for me to pursue my education at California Lutheran University, and for that I will be forever grateful.

One of my greatest passions is playing soccer, and luckily I get to continue playing throughout my college career as a Regal on the Cal Lutheran women's team. As a freshman I thought that I would be at the bottom of the totem pole so to speak, but the girls on the team have treated me as an equal, and that is what true leadership should be.

Over the years I have coached soccer and interned at the hospital in my hometown, both of which really helped me to branch out and realize all the things I could do with my life.

Looking ahead to the rest of my college experience I want to make sure that I try ability. I want to try new things and be the best version of me that I can be which will hopefully help me to carry on my studies to med school where I can conduct medical research.

Even though I have only been at Cal Lutheran a few months, I can tell that the facilities and programs that are offered will lead me to success. I hope to be able to give back to this community in order to repay the CLA scholarship program for all the support they have given me.

My name is Christian Moreno and I an incoming freshmen at Cal Lutheran University. I graduated from Walla Walla High School in Walla Walla, Washington. I plan on graduating with a double major in Business Administration and Global Studies with a minor in Spanish. My goals after college are to travel the world and become more cultured.

I was involved with the Latino/an Educational Achievement Project organization in Seattle during my junior and senior year. LEAP advocates for higher education for the Latinos in Washington State by advocating for changes to the state legislator. During my involvement in LEAP, the college bound scholarship and state financial aid was allowed to be awarded to undocumented students. In being involved with LEAP, I have been able to change my community by changing some of the state laws that would discourage undocumented students from going to college.

In high school, I was involved with Latino Club, Key Club, National Honors Society, Link Crew, and Science Bowl.  During all of my summers in high school, I would volunteer for Children’s Home Society at the Walla Walla Farm Labor Homes. I contributed my whole summers in mentoring young Hispanic children. I attended the same summer program as a child, and I felt the need to contribute and give back to society.

Thanks to the Community Leaders Association for awarding me this scholarship. They will help achieve my dreams of travelling the world become tangible!