Paola Vargas

24813 Fries Ave.

Carson, CA 90745
paolav441@gmail.com
310-938-5328

Education:
I am a senior at Carson High School in the academy of Environmental Science and Engineering
Technology (ESET) and have taken college classes on campus and at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

● GPA: 4.036
● Class Rank: I am 7th out of 346

● For Spring Semester 2018 I am currently enrolled in the following classes:

Environmental Studies B
AP English Literature B
Peer Counseling
AP Calculus B
Plant and Soil B

● I have completed the following college classes:

Theater 120 (Cal State Dominguez Hills) Earned grade A
Business Law 5 (LA Harbor College) Earned grade A
Political Science 1 (LA Harbor College) Earned grade B
Human Development 115 (EL Camino College) Earned grade A
Chicano Studies 101 (Cal State Dominguez Hills) Earned grade A
Psychology 001 Earned grade A
Sociology 001

Activities:
● Marching Band/Concert Band- I play the second and first chair clarinet. In this group, we
participate in football games, keeping spirits high. We also do pep rallies and parades often
throughout the year. In second semester, we prepare for a spring concert. I also participate in the
school play as part of the orchestra.
● Go Green club- I am the secretary for this club and we run the garbology program during lunch
every day. We aim to make the campus a cleaner environment for our peers and volunteer our
time to organize the recyclable materials. We maintain the garden and organize a garden clean
up every few weeks.
● California Scholarship Federation (CSF)- CSF is a club for high-ranking students who are well-
rounded and have good grades. As a member, I volunteer often to get a minimum of 10 hours per
semester.
● Boys and Girls Club- I regularly spend time in this after-school program to do homework and
other such activities. They help students with SAT preparation and Driver’s Education.
● Environmental Fellowship at the Teton Science Schools- I was one of only twelve
sophomores chosen by Ms. Bird to spend a week in Jackson Hole on the campus of the Teton
Science School. Our group of 12 students explored the Grand Tetons, becoming familiar with the
communities in the area.
 ● Junior Council- A portion of the junior class takes part in a meeting every month to discuss our
senior events and to fundraise to make our senior year memorable.

Volunteer Work and Community Service:

● Skid Row Carnival- I was involved in the Skid Row Carnival as I served food to those in need
and assisted with the activities. As a volunteer, I helped them have a fun time throughout the day.
● Skechers half marathon- I handed out gatorade and water to the runners in the marathon who
needed refreshments between mile marks while cheering them on as well.
● LA Aids Walk- This 10k walk was to support the grieving population that suffer with AIDS.
● Maintaining the garden- I engage in laborious work every so often to keep our school garden in
a pristine state. I help feed the animals, trim the trees and bushes, and clear the walkway to
provide a clean environment for students and animals.
● Beach clean ups- I engage in cleaning the shoreline of beaches such as Redondo Beach and
Cabrillo Beach.
● Costa Rica volunteer work- In April, 2017, I participated in cleaning the walkway of a national
forest to keep the trails clean.

Special Program:
● Upward Bound- This is a college prep program that I have been apart of since the first semester
of 9th grade. It is for low-income students who have aspirations of going to college. The summers
before the 10th and 11th grades, I took a six-week college course during each summer. The first
summer, I spent the last three weeks of the course at Loyola Marymount University and in the
second summer at CSU Long Beach.
● Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP)- EAOP is a UCLA college-prep program that
assists high-school students with their A-G requirements and advises them on how to be more
competitive when applying for colleges. It also helps families through the process of financial aid
and complex college application processes.

Major:
● I plan to major in Environmental Science in college or Wildlife Conservation.

Special Circumstances:
● My parents separated when I was seven years old.
● I am from a single parent household that receives a low middle class income every year.
● I skipped a grade

Honors and Awards

● Gold Honor Roll since 9th grade for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
● Gold Seal GPA 4.0 and above, senior year
● Environmental Fellowship Award for going on a week-long trip to Wyoming to study the
environmental communities in the area.
● Excellence in Biology given by Ms. Bird in 10th grade for receiving great marks in her class.
● Outstanding Performance in English given by Ms. Bottlik in 9th grade for showing an
understanding and depth of thought in English