On Sept. 5, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac High School senior Austin Johnson was named Student of the month by the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“First off, coming from a community of faith and as a person of faith I would like to thank God first,” Johnson said during the Student of the Month ceremony. “It is only through Him that I’m here today and for that, I’m grateful.”
“Austin’s dedication to his community, peers, and family is truly inspiring,” his school praised him in a social media post. “Alongside maintaining an impressive academic load, he excels in Associated Student Body leadership, athletics, ministry leadership, Future Farmers of America (FFA) Farm Supervisor, and much more!”
The Student of the Month program aims to bring the community together to honor and praise the local high school seniors for demonstrating character, integrity, love of learning, involvement in school activities, athletics, and community service, or the ability to overcome challenging life circumstances without compromising their education. The “heartbeat” of Student of the Month is the student who makes a difference in their home, school, and community with sincerity and passion. They must be college or trade-school-bound.
“I’ve been able to establish a strong student-lead ministry program at our school and in my freshman year, we began a program as a group of five students who help prepare before Mass and now it is an organization of over 40 students who go beyond to live to serve,” Johnson said. “We organize food drives, participate in retreats for younger students and much more. I’m amazed at what all of our members have done, and I’m thrilled to see what can be done long after I graduate.”