Albany High Junior Wins 'Student of Excellence' Award

An Albany High School junior is among the 40 winners of the 2013 Students of Excellence scholarship and award for outstanding achievement in ROP classes.

Cataleya (Cat) Supawit was nominated by her Broadcast Journalism instructors Ned Purdom and Jeff Castle.

Castle and Purdom said in an announcement on the school website:

"Cat stands out as model ROP student in terms of her intellect, character and desire to acquire career and technical skills. Cat joined Albany Student Broadcasting without any experience in broadcast journalism. Within just a few months, Cat proved herself worthy of the title Engineer-In-Charge, a role held by only one other student in the class, and someone who earned it over a number of years. And if that isn't enough, Cat recently tested out some front-of-the-camera positions, and she excels at those too."

ROP (Regional Occupational Program) classes focus on "career preparation and exploration, hands-on experience, and academic excellence to prepare students for success in college and future careers," according to the Contra Costa County Office of Education. "ROP provides students with the newest equipment, rigorous academic standards, and classes in emerging technologies."

Each of the winners receives a $200 scholarship and Certificate of Merit. The award is sponsored by Chevron and John Muir Health.

Nearly 11,000 students in 34 high schools in northern Alameda and Contra Costa counties are enrolled in ROP classes, according to the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

---------------

Don't miss any news from Albany Patch. Get the day's headlines and events – plus any breaking news alerts – by subscribing to the Albany Patch email newsletter. Click the News tab on our homepage and then “Get the daily newsletter” at the top.