La Jolla Country Day School

Cum Laude Society 2023
Class of 2024 Inductees

Karchy Borsa

Karchy impresses his teachers in many subject areas. He is most at home in the sciences, including computer science, and is also a member of the Chinese Honor Society. His teachers describe him as unassuming and humble, a role model for his peers, and able to manage a wide range of intellectual tasks with ease and interest. Karchy is also a tenacious soccer player, always looking to improve. His team just won a league and CIF championship, and he was recognized with the Sportsmanship Award.

Lucas Burgett

According to his teachers, Lucas has a vast talent for the sciences and a humble and laid-back demeanor. He is involved in the Science Olympiad and Coding Club. Lucas has taken several honors courses in design and innovation and an engineering course at Johns Hopkins University last summer. According to his baseball coach, Lucas is a hard-working, talented, humble and highly coachable player.

Maya Couey

Maya stands out on the football field, not because she has been the only young woman on the team for years, but because she is such a loyal, dedicated, positive and hardworking teammate. Her track teammates and fellow Model U.N. delegates would say the same. Her teachers rave about her cheerful presence and dedication in class and how she embraces challenges. Maya is a member of the Chinese Honor Society and the Lucky Ducklings Flex. As a member of the Eco-Action Team, she is working to improve sustainable practices at LJCDS.

Ava Daneshmand

Ava is described by teachers across subject areas as tenacious, diligent and an incisive thinker while at the same time being unassuming and exceptionally kind. She is foremost a musician; she has spent countless hours practicing the piano to achieve the level 10 certificate of merit and received recognition from the state. Ava often plays at festivals and helps accompany the choir and Madrigals. She is also a member of Model U.N. and the Spanish Honor Society.

Daniel Du

Daniel is a talented scientist using his abilities and interests to better the world. He is a Life Scout working towards his Eagle designation, volunteers at the Fleet Science Center, and helped code a program that assists doctors in the fight against leukemia. Daniel is on the Robotics team, is a member of the Chinese Honor Society, and enjoys gaming and building models. His teachers marvel at his diligence and the brute force of his intellect.

Jonathan Freedman

Jonathan is an LJCDS Lifer who is as busy as he is multitalented. He is a Spanish and Arts Honor Societies member, has an internship at a USD neuroscience lab, participated in the UPenn Social Innovators program, and serves on the school’s Academic Advisory Committee. In addition to being a member of many clubs, he has been a student council member, led an affinity group for the Hope Conference, and is an admissions ambassador for the school. Jonathan plays varsity baseball and was named Special Teams Player of the Year for football.

Maya Krishnan

Maya is a curious, driven, passionate scientist who, according to a teacher, “uses her powers for good.” She is an active member of Future Doctors & Scientists, the Biology Olympiad, the Spanish Honor Society, and the Community Service Board, where she most recently played a key role in organizing the food drive. Maya helped launch SD Empowered, an initiative that helps San Diego families access refurbished electronics. With Torrey Explorers’ funding, she designed a product she hopes to patent and manufacture.

Laila Mirkazemi

Laila is a hurdler and a distance runner for the track and cross-country teams. Both take stamina, dedication and courage, which she also applies to her academic pursuits. Laila can often be found in the Design and Innovation lab, and last summer, she participated in the COSMOS UCSD Structural Engineering program. She is a member of the Chinese Honor Society and the Community Service Board and was instrumental in organizing the food drive. Laila has already lived in three countries—Australia, China and the United States—and plans to add to that list in her lifetime.

Kaia Roy

Kaia is an LJCDS Lifer with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and service. Her teachers describe her as thoughtful, hyper-focused and a catalyst in class. She is a leader for the Lucky Ducklings Flex, has participated in numerous fundraising and service events on weekends, and serves as the secretary of the Spanish Honor Society. Kaia volunteers at Scripps Green and for a nonprofit that helps children with arthritis. She has an internship at UCSD and, last summer, traveled to Brazil, where she shadowed a surgeon.

Siena Shenbaga

Siena has her focus firmly set on the arts and language. She is a member of the Spanish Honor Society, the Honors Orchestra and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Siena leads the orchestra’s second violin section and recently provided violin accompaniment for the Winter Choral Concert. She volunteers for Words Alive. Siena is also one of the editors for Pegasus. Her poise and dependability, combined with her love of the arts and sensitivity as a reader and editor, give both ballast and rudder to the school’s literary and artistic journal.

Jiuxi “Tom” Wang

In addition to his rigorous course of study at LJCDS, Tom has taken five AP classes independently. Summers are just as busy. He has attended Wharton’s Essentials of Entrepreneurship program and the Global Philanthropy Leadership Summer Internship program. His motivation and work ethic are paired with maturity, generosity of spirit, and a ready smile and laugh. Tom plays the piano and is the co-president of Music4Kids, a nonprofit that brings music opportunities to underprivileged children.

Eric Zhu

Eric has been described as having the constantly questioning mind of a true scientist, one who is adept at seeing complexity and nuance. He is a member of the Chinese Honor Society and the Speech and Debate Club, for which he has participated in public forum debates. He volunteers at the San Diego Food Bank. Last summer, Eric was a full-time intern at a lab at the Scripps Research Institute, working on a hepatitis C vaccine, and he continues to intern there twice a week.