Thousand Oaks High School graduate earns praise for compassionate actions, global view
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

mmi Beck

Emmi Beck founded the Women's Advocacy and Relief Club at Thousand Oaks High School and helped the group raise more than $2,000 to provide medical relief throughout the world.

"We organized a dinner to benefit the victims of Darfur in Sudan and raise awareness about the genocide there," Emmi said.

About 50 people attended the dinner, where club members prepared lasagna, salad and brownies.

Emmi reached Commended status in the National Merit Scholarship program after her performance on the PSAT. She received perfect scores on advanced placement tests and ranked in the top 5 percent of her graduating class, with a 4.36 GPA.

Her scholarships and awards filled half a page in the Thousand Oaks High School graduation commencement program.

But the reason her principal selected her to represent the best of her graduating class was because of how much she cares about other people.

"Emmi represents all that's good about our high school students. She's very bright, caring and has passion about causes," Principal Tim Carpenter said.

"She devotes an incredible amount of time and energy to improving the lives of others and the world in which we live, from volunteering at the Westminster Free Clinic to tutoring fellow students and helping underprivileged students identify and apply for scholarships to continue with their education," her counselor, Catherine Kanney, said.

At the Westminster Free Clinic in Thousand Oaks, Emmi has become more than a student volunteer. She was given the responsibility to be a student manager there, Kanney said.

"I've observed her tending to patients at the clinic, taking thorough histories and presenting them to the attending physician," Kanney noted. "Her ability to maintain composure in chaotic times, quickly analyze a situation and decide the best course of action, as well as her excellent interpersonal skills, have earned her the respect, confidence and admiration of the clinic's patients and volunteer staff."

Emmi emphasized the huge need for people to volunteer at the free clinic, where those who are uninsured can get medical help.

"She is an unusual

young lady who puts the

needs of others ahead of hers," teacher Manuel Valdez said.

Emmi moved to the United States from Germany when she was 10 and learned English quickly, she recalled.

In the fall she'll attend UC Berkeley. Emmi hopes to someday work for the United Nations, she said.