Counselor Bios 2019

Jadon will be SCOA’s head counselor for SCOA’s MOA sessions this summer and it will be his second stint as SCOA’s head counselor. He first came to SCOA three years ago aa a senior counselor. Jadon graduated last year and was a sprinter on USC’s track team and in high school, he played on the basketball team in addition to track. Last summer, he went to China as part of USC’s Global East Asia Program. He is a DJ and was president of the Grace Gospel Choir.

Lauren was a senior counselor last summer and is returning this summer to be the head counselor for SCOA’s KEEP sessions. She was Miss Hawaii Teen USA before entering USC and is now finishing her sophomore year. She has been doing jazz/contemporary dance for 17 years, tap dance and ballet for 5 years and gymnastics for 2 years. She has been a dance & theater teacher for elementary to high school students for the last several years. She has been doing musical theater since she was 9 years old. She was also a hurdler on her high school track team.Jenner is graduating this spring and was a member of Utah’s springboard/diving team for four years. He was captain and MVP of his high school diving team and was a gymnast for seven years before switching to diving. He coached young kids in gymnastics for four years. Jenner was a trip leader on missions for a humanitarian group in Peru and the Virgin Islands and in May he will be a trip leader for a mission in the Dominican Republic.

Moriah went to graduate school at Nottingham University outside of London, earning a Master’s in Sports and Exercise Medicine. She was a member of USC’s soccer team that won the NCAA Division 1 Championship and earned the received All-Academic PAC 12 honors. In high school, her soccer team won the Southern California CIF Division 5 championship and she was named Daily News Player of the Year. She is a member of a gospel choir and has been a counselor and soccer coach for junior high students.

Victoria is graduating this spring and plans on attending law school. She was a libero/defensive specialist on Arizona’s women’s volleyball team. She was captain and MVP of her high school volleyball team. Victoria was a volleyball coach for elementary and junior high kids for three years. She was an honorable mention Academic All American three years while at Arizona and was a member of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee)

McKenzee competes in the 200m, 500m, 1000m and 1650m free and placed 4th in the league in the 1650m free. She was captain and MVP for her high school swim team and was the Arizona state champion in the 400m and 500m free. She coached special needs kids in golf for three years in high school and was a special ed teacher’s assistant for high school students. She grew up on a golf course because her mother is a teaching golf pro. McKenzee plays the ukulele.

Michael is graduating this spring. He was a tight end on Washington’s football team that was ranked 13th in the nation and won two Pac 12 conference championships during his playing time. He was All-Regional in football in high school. Michael is very active in extracurriculars at Washington; he is a member of WSAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee), BSAA (Black Student Athlete Alliance and was a Special Olympics Leader. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, singing and dancing.

Sydney was a center defender & midfielder on her high school soccer team and was her team’s captain and MVP. She also played point guard on her high school basketball team and was the team’s captain and MVP. Sydney was a basketball coach for elementary and junior high players for three years and also a soccer coach for elementary kids. She was a girl scout during her elementary school years. She was a member of her high school student government and a member of the National Honor Society. Sydney received the Outstanding Public Service Award from her local U.S. Congresswoman. She is currently a member of the Nikkei Student Union at UCLA.

An is graduating this spring after being a four-year member and captain of UCSB’s women’s swim team and received All-Academic Big West Conference Honors. She was captain of her high school swim team and was voted Most Inspirational. She was a summer counselor for elementary campers. An is heavily involved in environmental and sustainability issues; she is a research fellow for the UCSB sustainability and UCSB Carbon Neutral Initiatives. An is the Education Coordinator for the UCSB Coastal Fund and Co-President of the Environmental Planning Coalition.

James currently teaches Spanish at an elementary school in Ohio but will begin teaching in New York City in the fall. He played football at Marist College in New York, earning Special Teams MVP honors. He was captain of his high school football team and was defensive MVP and earned All Ohio Academic Honors. He currently is a high school football coach. James spent two years in the Peace Corp in Columbia where he taught English as a second language. He spent two weeks during college in Guatemala volunteering at an orphanage. For four years in high school, he was a team leader for Relay for Life as well as Habitat for Humanity. James was a summer camp counselor at a Fellowship for Christian Athletes camp.

Sabrina ran the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 3K for the UCSB track & field team. Placing 5th in the conference in the 1500 meters. She also was a member of UCSB’s cross-country team. Her team qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals. Sabrina’s high school cross-team was California State Champion and she earned All Regional 1st Team honors. She placed 5th in the state in the 1,500 meters for her high school track team. Sabrina played center forward on her high school soccer team. She coached elementary kids in track and field events during college. She had leadership roles for SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She spent a summer in Costa Rica for a study abroad program focusing on ocean conservation projects.

Claire is a sophomore and is a midfielder on Oregon’s women’s lacrosse team. She was an attacker and midfielder on her high school lacrosse team that won the Maryland State Championship two times. Claire was named to the All-County and All-Metro 1st team in lacrosse. She played high school basketball and earned All-County honors. She was named her high school’s Athlete of the Year. Claire coached a 5th grade field hockey team and was a referee for a 3rd-8th grade lacrosse league. She loves doing arts & crafts.

Ryo will be a junior. He attended St. Mary International School in Tokyo and was a SCOA Junior counselor for two years in high school. This is his second year as a SCOA senior counselor. He is on Miami’s boxing team and came in first at the USIBA (United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association) tournament.

Melissa is finishing her freshman year and is a member of both Oregon’s women’s cross-country team and track team, running 1500 meters and 3k. She was the MVP of both her high school’s cross-country and track teams. She has been a volunteer for the Burrito Brigade for the last four years, an organization that delivers burritos to Eugene’s homeless. She volunteered at a daycare center for 3-6-year-olds throughout high school. She was president of her high school’s Jewish Student Union and treasurer of her high school’s Key Club, a national student service organization.

Christina is a sophomore on UCSB’s women’s swim team and earned All-Academic honors for the Big West Conference. She was captain and MVP of her high school swim team and was an All American. Christina coached elementary school kids in swimming. During high school she volunteered at Infinity and Beyond, teaching underprivileged, young minority students in Compton about Scientific research and method. Christina was a girl scout for 8 years.

Leah is finishing up her junior year and was on USC’s rowing team during her freshman year. Her high school rowing team won the Midwest Rowing Championship 2 times and went to the U.S. Rowing Nationals three-times, finishing 7th in the nation one year. She did Kung Fu for ten years and recently took up boxing. She volunteers at USC’s America Language Institute’s program to help international students improve their English, leading group conversations. Leah has done several study abroad programs, including going to China last summer through USC’s Global East Asia Program. She attends the monthly Salsa Night at USC.

Amanda is finishing her freshman year and is a member of Pace’s (a D1 school) dance team that performs at football and basketball games. She has been dancing since she was 4 and is trained in all areas: ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, modern, African and acro. She auditioned for Sesame Street Live and made it to the final ten. In high school, she won the regional dance championship 5 times and was the captain of her dance team. Amanda was also on the cheer team. She performed in many musicals, including Mary Poppins and loves to sing Broadway songs. She was a summer camp counselor for 6-8-year-old girls. She was a dance instructor for two years. She was vice president of her senior class and a member of the National Honor Society. Amanda was in girl scouts for 8 years.