Senior Spotlights
We have so many incredible Monsoons parting from our beloved school, and we'd love to share some of their amazing stories with you. Come along and learn about some of your fellow seniors and their stories below!
Jasper Banez
With the 2026 school year coming to an end, it is that time where we honor our seniors, and this right here is Jasper Banez! He’s been at Mayfair since seventh grade and has accomplished many things throughout his time here, describing his experience as decent. He accomplished becoming the president of Art Academy, one of the publicists for Mayfair’s Mandarin Club and Chinese Honors Society, and placing third in the congressional art competition in 2025 where he got to shake hands with congressman Robert Garcia. Although he has accomplished these many things, along with getting into Art Academy his freshman year, there are many other things that he’s been involved in. Jasper was a member of Care Crafts Project, CSF (California Scholarship Federation), and an EMT course at CalAps.
Graduation is pretty bittersweet for him, given that he’ll miss his favorite teachers Mr. Nelson (former art academy teacher), Mr. McCabe, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Warez, and his favorite people here, who gave him a chance that he may not ever see again. However, that won’t stop him from looking forward to the brighter side!
Despite being involved in many art related activities, Jasper plans on going to California State University of Long Beach with a major in biology to pursue a career in the medical field. In addition to his upcoming education there, he plans to complete a summer program for EMT, take the national registry exam to become one at high school, gain experience, and then receive a Bachelors in Science. Jasper intends to use that degree to get into medical school. Jasper hopes to show and give the same comfort and safety as he was given when he was five-years-old after being taken to the hospital due to an emergency. That experience became his main inspiration for his passions in art and the medical field.
His advice for future artists is to “keep drawing what you like, don’t let people tell you that what you’re drawing is bad if it’s something you really enjoy.” As for advice to underclassmen, “Do as much as you can while you’re young, while you have all these opportunities around you. Don’t let fear inhibit your ambition, if it fails, it fails. if it works, then good job!
Johnny Chan is one of the most talented and bright students on this campus. Johnny plays in the Mayfair Monsoon Marching Corp as a trumpet section leader. He was also part of the boys’ junior varsity tennis team for a season. Along with his extracurricular achievements, he has also been a part of fourteen AP classes during his time here at Mayfair. He also has a GPA of 4.4, ranking thirteen among his peers. Additionally, during his junior year he marched with the 605 All Star Band in the Rose Parade. Johnny describes his time at Mayfair eventful and impactful. “It was interesting, yet challenging,” he says. “Meeting teachers and hundreds of people at Mayfair, and seniors that taught me life lessons when I was young.” He made lasting relationships with people who not only shaped his character but created lasting memories he can vividly recall. He pokes fun at his well-known reputation of being called by his full name, calling it silly but meaningful. He says: “It’s something that started as a running joke to now an experience that’s precious to me.” Johnny reminisces all of his hardships and hours of studying for competitions and AP courses, stating that he learned a valuable lesson. “I have learned to manage myself in a way that doesn’t cause burnout. I still do not believe I took so many advanced
Johnny Chan
courses, summer programs, college classes, marching band, tennis, and hobbies while maintaining a social life.” He wishes he could say more to his undergraduates, but states that it is for them to experience what he has done. “Without the support of my family and friends, there is no doubt in my mind that I would be completely dull,” Johnny comments. “They have supported me in ways that gave me the passion and ambition that I have now.” These four consecutive years have been painstakingly long, however, his experiences at Mayfair shines a light on his future as he enters the next chapter of his life. He applied to universities such as UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCI, and UCSD where he plans on majoring in civil engineering and minoring in music. We will remember him as an amazing student, friend, bandmate, and teammate as he graduates from the Class of 2026. We wish Johnny luck for a bright future!
JP Matthew Dela Cruz
JP Matthew Dela Cruz has been a part of many programs here at Mayfair. For example, Showtime during his senior year; Art Academy for four years; Key Club and Filipino Club for three years. JP made many amazing memories and enjoyed the programs that he participated in, but wishes he had joined some of them sooner. JP loved Key Club because he thought it was an amazing learning experience and a great way to socialize with other people from different schools. He also loved Showtime because he thought the group was kind and welcoming, but most importantly, he made great memories during concerts and enjoyed the experience altogether. JP describes his high school experience as a fun one. During his free time, he often liked hanging out with his friends, singing, dancing, creating art and being outdoors.
He appreciates retired teacher Mr. Nelson, Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Burner for making his high school years special and meaningful. He is excited about graduating but will miss being a kid with no worries or responsibilities, including going to the strip mall after school to hang out with his friends. For his future, he plans to go to college to study nursing because of his desire to help people. However, he also considers becoming a dentist. He applied for UCLA with hopes to get in, but other colleges he is interested in are UCR, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Fullerton.
While JP was at Mayfair, he learned how to connect with people better, to not be afraid to do different things, and have an open mind. JP leaves advice for future underclassmen: “Try out new things because, honestly you never know when you will be able to do it again and you are going to have so many regrets if you don't do it sooner. Push yourself to try as many things as possible because what is there to lose.”
Isabella Diaz is a student at Mayfair High School who will be graduating this year, being part of the class of 2026. She is a student athlete who has been doing cheer and stunt for all four years of high school and has gone to Mayfair for six years. There are many things to know about her before she leaves school this year.
Her favorite part about cheer is the friendships she’s made throughout her four years of being on the team. She has made countless memories, her freshmen and junior year cheer camp being a time where she enjoyed the environment and team around her.
Isabella being on the cheer team changed her high school experience. There were many triumphs and challenges throughout her four years. Even though there were obstacles along the way, being able to be a part of the assemblies, cheer at school game events and being with her teammates and friends outweighed her lows. Her greatest accomplishment was winning C.I.F. for two years in a row with an amazing cheer team.
Her favorite memory of high school is Senior Seminar, starting her school year off to a great start and being able to talk to all of her peers, especially old ones that went to her elementary school. This made her feel very emotional and gave her the realization of how fast high school was going by. She is going to miss all the friendships and memories that she made throughout high school because it’s something that she is able to look back on and become nostalgic. After high school, she plans on going to college and getting a nursing degree.
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Isabella Diaz
Graduation is a big thing to think about. For Isabella, graduation makes her feel excited and scared at the same time. She is excited for what is in store for the future after graduation. It is quite a nerve racking feeling because she’s been in the loop of waking up and going to Mayfair for the past six years and the cycle will eventually stop. This change is bound to happen for better or worse for her.
The one piece of advice to upcoming high schoolers and current high school students right now is to not rush it. She feels like everyone is always in a hurry to grow up, graduate, and move on to the next thing. One day they’re going to realize that the random school days, the practices, the lunch tables and even the stressful weeks were the moment. She feels like it is important to let yourself grow, you’re supposed to change and it is fine to outgrow friendships.
Roman Diaz
Roman has attended Mayfair High/Middle School for six years. He enjoys reading comic books and making Computer and Drafting (CAD) modules. He participates in all different sorts of extracurricular activities and clubs, such as TeamWorldVision, MESA, Robotics Club, and SkillsUSA. He has been the president of SkillsUSA for a number of three years, and takes great honor being a part of an excellent CTE program. Furthermore, Roman has taken an abundant amount of APs throughout his high school career such as AP Calculus, AP Computer Science Principle and AP Lang.
Some of Roman’s favorite memories here at Mayfair are advocating for CTE classes at school events and his moments during SkillsUSA. Especially, when he and his team won gold in his Outstanding Chapter Display State Competition. He enjoys seeing everyone improve their skills and being able to present with confidence. Furthermore, Roman was accepted into Cal Poly Pomona and planned to study into the engineering field. The advice Roman would give to the underclassmen is to pace themselves and don’t be in a rush. It’s great that students try to participate in everything, even though that’s great, but it can get overwhelming. Avoid burnout at all costs, to preserve your mental health. Instead, try getting into electives that you are extremely passionate about. Before concluding this spotlight, there’s one last thing Roman has to say, “Merry Christmas!”
Kennedy Dimmy is a dedicated athlete and involved student here on our Mayfair campus who is getting ready to graduate this upcoming summer in June. She has attended all four years of high school here and has shown a tremendous amount of Soon spirit in her great leadership and involvement here.
Kennedy has played basketball all four years of high school and also served as team captain for her junior and senior years. Additionally, she is President of Young Black Scholars (YBS), which she has been since junior year, and served as Vice President for her sophomore year. These roles have helped shape her into a disciplined and accountable leader who not only leads by example but also values teamwork and service.
This strong and elegant leader carries her Monsoon pride by leading with not only integrity but also confidence and unity. She represents her school through her excellence in her academics, athletics, and service, whether that
Kennedy Dimmy
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is on or off of the courts or leading meetings. She makes sure that her actions reflect our school's values.
With graduation coming near, she plans to go to college and major in business at an elite HBCU. With that, she wants to become an entrepreneur and create a generational impact. Her biggest inspiration is her mother, as she's watched her mom sacrifice, which is something that motivates her to build a future that creates stability and opportunity for her family.
A quote she lives by is from J. Cole: “There’s beauty in the struggle.” It reminds her that challenges aren’t setbacks; they’re part of growth. As she aspires to build a successful business, give back to her community, and create opportunities for others.
Advice she leaves for the underclassmen is “Get involved early and don’t be afraid to step into leadership. Time goes by fast. Build relationships with teachers and mentors, and don’t limit yourself to one interest. Most importantly, believe in yourself before anyone else does.”
Samantha Escerano
Samantha Escerano, also known as Sam, is an involved student here at Mayfair and is a part of multiple programs like Monsoon Theater for four years; Girl Up for two years; Link Crew for senior year; and Stage Production CalAPS for three years. Sam’s favorite memories from theater would be messing around with friends and warming up backstage. Sam also really enjoyed the Girl Up’s Feminine Hygiene Drive because it is the most popular and fun event. Their favorite part of Link Crew would be making birthday cards for freshmen and giving it out to them. For CalAPS Stage Production, one of Samantha’s great memories from it would be making many new friends and racing with them to build stage pieces to win food.
During Samantha’s free time they enjoyed drawing, listening to music and hanging out with friends. Many of their friends would consider her to be kind, caring, and willing to listen to you and give advice. Samantha is really excited to graduate but is definitely going to miss not having so many responsibilities and only having to worry about school. They are going to miss Mr. Yanes and Mr. Saunders for making their high school years memorable. However, a memory that stuck out to Sam was when they were in Shrek the Musical and the cast was only seventeen people when there were 40 different characters. Many people had to play three different characters. In the future, Samantha wants to become a math teacher and go to California State University, San Jose.
While at Mayfair, they learned to never give up even if you fail because there are always more chances to get better at it. As she graduates from this school, Samantha leaves advice to future Monsoons:“High school is only one part of your life so try it all while you still can."
Mayfair is proud to produce one of the most hard-working Monsoons Class of 2026 has to offer, MJ Higgins. Throughout their years in the Bellflower Unified School District, MJ has continuously stayed on top of their values and prioritized anything of importance to them, not limited to their academic career.
MJ has been attending Mayfair Middle and High School since the seventh grade. Throughout their middle and high school career, they have accomplished four years in the Mayfair Art Academy program, five years of CalAPS, one semester as a TA for Mr. Eastham, multiple volunteer hours and has been awarded as one of the youngest speakers for Washington D.C. back in 2021.
MJ, a major media and cultural enthusiast, has always been passionate about their interests in art, games and shows as well as the history behind their cultural background and others. Their art has been showcased in Mayfair’s art shows for four years and they’ve been an active hand in their extracurriculars, namely Baking Club, AP African-American Studies, Art Academy, CalAPS Fashion Design Program and Urban Farming Science.
However, MJ has more to offer outside of school. They have been a proactive and supportive friend to anyone that needed it, remaining strong and selflessly prioritizing the needs of others over their own. Whenever they feel like it, they will bake goods and bring it to their loved ones or handcraft sculptures and postcards out of sheer love and appreciation. They love to have fun and try their best to make a bad situation better. After graduation, MJ plans to contribute more to their community by helping those in need, providing mutual aid and pursuing their passions in art.
They thank their friends Biannca Gaytan-Renteria, Andrea Cardenas, Tiamanda Ek, Nathaly Licea, and teachers Mr. Headley, Mr. Eastham and Mr. Nelson for their support, guidance and presence throughout the years.
Congratulations to MJ for all their hard work and dedication and may they continue to lead a better life outside of high school, pursuing their passions and strengthening their community.
MJ Higgins
Jahzara Jernigan
Jahzara Jernigan, otherwise known as Jazzy to many friends and family, is someone on this campus that has a very strong love and passion for cheerleading. What made her love cheerleading so much she says, “When I was younger, I was always active doing something. I was trying to find the sport that I fit in the most and when I strayed towards cheer, I knew that it was where I wanted to be for a while. The bonds that you make along the way with the team is really heartwarming and some of those people are family to me.”
She also has been doing cheerleading since she was nine years old, with her being eighteen now. She talks about how she did Pop Warners the first couple years of her in cheerleading until the pandemic hit. When she first started at this high school, she tried out for the Mayfair Cheer team and she has been cheerleading ever since then for all four years.
With this being her senior year at this school, she talks about how she had a lot of ups and down experiences. Jahzara talks about how every grade level was challenging for her but she overcame it every time. She says, “It’s honestly not what I thought high school was going to be like when first coming to Mayfair. But I’ve adapted along the years.’’ She has been in the club YBS (Young Black Scholars), she states,“The club itself is amazing, but the people in it are funny and you can really see that everyone comes together like a family.” She was also in the Chinese club when she was taking Mandarin.
When asked about how she feels being a two-time winning champion she says, “ It feels amazing. I honestly didn’t even know that we did that good the first time we won CIF, it was so exciting but also a little overwhelming because everyone was falling over each other. But I know we really deserved it. The second time around I was so nervous because our routine was a little harder and I really wanted us to win CIF again since it’s my last year. When they called out our name I didn’t feel nothing but a rush of excitement and sadness because we had really did it.’’
What she plans to do when she is out of high school is to go to college and get her bachelor's degree to become a criminal justice lawyer. She says after she gets her bachelors, she wants to move out to Texas and study in law school out there and move out there permanently.
Lastly, when asked about who inspires her, she said, “My aunt inspires me the most, even though she never did cheer at a young age. She has been by my side since I started and has always been my biggest cheerleader. She gave me the opportunity to do something that I really wanted to do and now I’m doing great in the sport.’’
Devine Nkwenji is a senior here at Mayfair where he has been a part of the Mayfair Monsoon Marching Corp since freshman year. He has also been a part of SkillsUSA for a year. In addition, he has been an excellent AP scholar throughout his high school career. When asked what he wants to do in the future he said, “Career wise, I plan to be an architect since I've been really interested in architecture and design for a few years now. However, I also see myself doing civil engineering as well since I have taken classes that have pushed me towards that path. I have also taken some advice from alumni of our school that are in engineering majors about civil engineering. Their paths are somewhat similar so I wouldn't be upset with me doing either one in the future, but still I look more towards architecture.” Also when asked about where he wants to attend for the next four years he said, “Since freshman year, my main college of choice has been Cal State SLO as I've seen the campus multiple times before. I've seen their engineering and architecture majors, and I just enjoy the overall feel I had when going there”. When asked how Devine would describe his time at Mayfair he states,“Mayfair has been the greatest, confuddling, perplexing, and life-shaping school experience ever. I haven't had any previous schools ever impact as much as Mayfair did, and despite the issues that I may have had with this school, I was so glad to be here.” Then to top it all off, I ended the questions with who was his influential teacher at Mayfair in which he responded with Mr. Phillips. “Easy, Mr. Philips,” he answered. “That man worked me to the bone. I don't see band leading my future ever in life, but his philosophy will probably stay with me till I die”.
Devine Nkwenji
Joshua Rasdas
Joshua Rasdas is a highly achieving senior here at Mayfair High School. Over the course of his four years, he has been involved in many different extracurriculars at school. During his sophomore year, he was a part of the track and field team. He also joined Showtime during his junior year where he made new friends and gained many positive experiences. Joshua was also a part of the Filipino Club since his junior year. Additionally, he joined Parable club where he secured a role as a leader during his senior year.
One memorable moment during Joshua’s senior year was being a part of a Singing Valentine’s group. He enjoyed it because it was a fun activity to do with his friends and it was his first time doing it and the last time he will ever have that experience.
During his past four years at Mayfair, he has gained many fond memories of a few teachers here on campus. Some teachers that he connected with the most were Mr. Wiz, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Yanes, and Ms. Campbell. These four teachers have had a positive impact on his high school years and have made him feel a part of the school.
Lastly, when he graduates this spring, he plans on attending Cypress College. He will join the psychiatric technician program there. By using everything he learned and experienced in high school, he will be able to open this new chapter of his life with newfound knowledge and preparation. When Joshua graduates, his involvement with his extracurriculars will leave a lasting impression on Mayfair for years to come.
Lennox Scott has been a part of many programs during his high school career. For example, he plays volleyball, soccer, is a part of Showtime, and ASB. He also is a part of many clubs like YBS, Red Cross and NHS. Being in many programs helped him enjoy his high school experience and have lots of fun. He’s very grateful for the staff that surrounded him in these programs because he feels that they were a huge support to him during his four years of high school.Lennox enjoyed his high school experience because he made lots of friends throughout the years. He enjoys music, singing and watching podcasts. Lennox is grateful to Ms. McAndrew, Ms. Brown, Ms. Campbell, Mr. Headley and Mr. Rodiguez for making his high school years enjoyable and memorable. He is excited to graduate, but at first he wasn’t so much. He was nervous but he realized he was excited for this new chapter in his life. One of his favorite memories would be during Senior Seminar, seeing all the seniors in one place and wanting to connect with each other which made their last year memorable. The sight of this event has truly stuck with him. One thing that Lennox is going to miss about attending high school is being able to recognize so many people's faces. Additionally, he will miss all
Lennox Scott
the support he had in Mayfair whether it’s from his friends or staff. Although he will miss these things, he is ready to start fresh in a new environment. Lennox plans to go to Cal State Fullerton to major in public health and pursue medicine.Over these four years, Lennox learned many new things from being here at Mayfair. One thing he would like to say to underclassmen is “Don’t be afraid to get involved and the only thing that matters is what you think about yourself”.