Courtesy photo.
AGOURA HILLS — On May 20, three “Be Like Carter” scholarships were awarded to Agoura High School students. The scholarships are given out twice a year in memory of Carter Stone, an incoming first-year student at Agoura High who passed away in 2022 unexpectedly just before the start of the school year and after making the football team.
The scholarship winners are senior Michael Sieber, a defensive player and long-snapper for the Agoura High School football team, eleventh grader Hannah Thompson, a varsity soccer player and eleventh grader Brady Russ, a third-year varsity member of the school’s lacrosse team and team captain.
Scholarship winners are selected based on character traits they display on and off the field: work hard, be true, be humble, be kind.
Michael Sieber’s goal is to create something that will go into space and explore the universe. He is going to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida next year to major in mechanical engineering with a focus on space and robotics. His community volunteer work includes helping at homeless and rehabilitation shelters and animal shelters. He was a volunteer coach for kindergarten flag football at the Yarrow Family YMCA.
Hannah Thompson dreams of being a doctor. She wants to study pre-med, chemistry or health sciences at a four-year university. She currently volunteers at West Hills Hospital. During the pandemic, she started a project that raised more than $700 to provide more than 100 meals to needy people through an organization called Hunger Not Impossible.
Brady Russ volunteers with such organizations as the Boys Team Charity, My Stuff Bags and Ruben Castro Charities. Through the City of Agoura Hills, he coached a six-week beginner lacrosse class for boys and girls aged 5 through 12. His goal is to attend a four-year university and study business or sports management.
“These scholarship winners honor Carter Stone and his legacy,” says Clint Cummings, athletic director for Agoura High. “Carter was funny, kind and had a strong work ethic. The scholarship recipients represent the best in athletics and academics. Their desire to help others is making a difference in the community.”
California Strong/Southeast Ventura County YMCA and Proactive Sports fund the scholarships. California Strong was founded by professional athletes with the YMCA after the 2018 Woolsey Fire to provide support after a natural disaster. Agoura Charger alumni Ryan Capretta founded Proactive Sports in Westlake Village.
Each winner receives a $500 scholarship, four months of training at Proactive Sports, a nutrition plan and an in-person mentoring session with California Strong founder and former professional baseball player, Ryan Braun.
For more about Be Like Carter, go to https://www.belikecarter.com.