[Adobe Acrobat required]
Wm. S. Hart Union High School District What's Good &
School Board Roundup
College of the Canyons
Breaking News Bottom Line
Newhall School District NSD Today
Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center
The Mighty Oak
Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers Inc. Health Matters
Santa Clarita Valley
Historical Society
Heritage Junction Dispatch
Organization: People to People Ambassador Programs
Date: January 13, 2009
Teen Filmmaker To Attend Presidential Inauguration
Santa Clarita student to witness the historical swearing-in of fellow Hawaii-born Barack Obama
Thirteen-year-old Fernando Cazares, Jr., a featured filmmaker at the 2009 Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival, has been accepted into the People to People Presidential Inauguration program. An eighth grade student at Arroyo Seco Junior High in Santa Clarita, Cazares will join a select group of returning People to People Student Ambassadors from around the world who will witness the historical swearing-in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.
The experience holds special meaning for Cazares who like the future president was born in Hawaii. "I lived in Hawaii until I was 4. My parents, little brother and I visit at least once a year to see my grandparents and family there," revealed Cazares. "The last time we were in Hawaii Barack Obama was also visiting his family there before he was elected president," added the teen who will view the inaugural address on January 20 at the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial.
Cazares recently showcased his video shorts at the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival in the junior high category: "The Seco Stalker," that he co-directed and starred in, and "Dora Goes Bad," which he edited. The teen plans to produce a video journal of his experiences at the historical inauguration. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I would love to share with my family, friends and teachers."
As a successful People to People delegate, Cazares attended his first People to People leadership summit in 2007 after being nominated by his 5th grade teacher Cynthia Hallman at Highlands School in Saugus for his exemplary leadership abilities and citizenship.
At Arroyo Seco Junior High, the teen was named a recipient of the prestigious Knutson Scholarship by his 7th grade team teachers and selected Broadcaster of the Year in 2008 by his video production teacher Von Hougo for his work as an on-air anchor of the school’s Conquistador News Network daily morning broadcast.
As part of the People to People program, Cazares will gain insights into American leaders throughout history during the five-day summit with access to the National Archives, exploration of the newly reopened National Museum of American History, visits to Washington’s treasured monuments and memorials, and during discussions with political experts such as Chief White House Correspondent Kenneth Walsh of U.S. News and World Report and Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower, who is the President and CEO of People to People International.
The program is coordinated by People to People Leadership Programs to fulfill the vision President Dwight D. Eisenhower had for fostering world citizenship when he founded People to People during his presidency in 1956. For additional information about the People to People program, please visit http://www.lsleaders.org.
