August 9, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Brentwood Student Civic Award honorees recognized

Brentwood Student Civic Award recipients Lester Gopar, Paris Korman, and Dana Wood. They are joined by Norman Kulla from Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, Stephanie Cohen from Assemblyman Richard Bloom’s office, and Daniel Tamm from Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office.
Brentwood Student Civic Award recipients Lester Gopar, Paris Korman, and Dana Wood. They are joined by Norman Kulla from Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, Stephanie Cohen from Assemblyman Richard Bloom’s office, and Daniel Tamm from Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office.

At the Brentwood Community Council (BCC)’s monthly meeting on March 3, four students from local high schools were honored with the Brentwood Student Civic Award.

This community award is annually given to students who demonstrate outstanding initiative, leadership, innovation, and dedication toward improving the lives of others.

Local dignitaries, including Mayor Eric Garcetti’s representative Daniel Tamm, Assemblyman Richard Bloom’s representative Stephanie Cohen, and Councilman Mike Bonin’s senior counsel Norman Kulla, joined the BCC in recognizing four students from four different local schools.

The selection process for the award begins with student nominations that each school then chooses, with the BCC ultimately narrowing down the pool of recipients.

This year the honorees are Dana Wood (Archer School for Girls), Paris Korman (Brentwood School), Lester Gopar (University High School), and Annie Loy (Palisades Charter High School).

Caroline Kelly, the Public Education Representative on the BCC, provided Brentwood News with more detailed reasons as to why the BCC ultimately decided to present Wood, Korman, Gopar, and Loy with the awards after reviewing information from the initial nominators.

“[Wood] received the award for her longstanding and dedicated service to the Archer School community service board,” Kelly said. “She frequently attended monthly events at the Daybreak Women’s Shelter in Santa Monica to cook meals, organize activities, and contribute her creativity and good humor to the women living at the shelter.”

Wood proved her dedication to the Annual Archer Blood Drive by working “in close liaison with the Saint John’s Health Center” and recruiting “both student and faculty donors with remarkable alacrity,” which resulted in a successful event.

As for Brentwood School’s Paris Korman, her focus was on serving the environment and the youth.

“[Korman] volunteered over 200 hours to Heal the Bay, both as a youth educator at their Santa Monica Aquarium and in the field helping to lead their beach clean-ups,” Kelly said. “She also led efforts to offer after-school activities and a homework club to the under-served children residing at Westwood Transition Village.”

Korman also volunteered at an international level by helping to fundraise for the Khushi Charity School in India and established a Khushi Club on her campus to spread awareness about supporting impoverished children in India.

Lester Gopar of University High School, on the other hand, was unafraid to take hyper-local action after becoming motivated by the dirty streets in his very own neighborhood. Gopar took the initiative to organize a group called Teens Clean LA and “began tackling the problem one street at a time.”

Kelly said that Gopar organized meetings, led Saturday clean-ups, and purchased materials out-of-pocket.

“He is committed to keeping Teens LA running in Los Angeles and launching a new, similarly focused group wherever he goes to college,” Kelly said.
Although Annie Loy of Palisades Charter High School was not present at the BCC meeting, she “received the award for her “work ethic, tenacity, generosity and spirit” as a representative of her school’s Long Term Strategic Planning Committee.

On top of planning events on campus, Loy “has raised funds for several charitable organizations” in addition to writing for the school paper and taking numerous honors and AP classes.

Each award winner received a medal and certificate of recognition from the BCC as well as from a variety of prominent political offices, including the Mayor’s Office, the State Assembly Member, and the Senate.

For more information on the BCC, visit brentwoodcommunitycouncil.org.

Related Posts

West LA College Hosts Climate Career Fair With Jobs, Internships, $0 Tuition Promise Program

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Over 30 Employers and Enrollment Assistance Headline the Aug. 9 Community Event.  West Los Angeles College will open its campus...

Live Like Braun Memorial Tournament Honors Athlete’s Life on His Birthday on August 9

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Players and Community Members Will Gather to Celebrate Braun Levi’s Life Friends, family, and supporters of the late Braun Levi...

Xenomorphs Hit Hollywood: FX Launches Global ‘Alien: Earth’ Hunt Ahead of Series Premiere

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Fans Can Track “Crash-Site” Crates in LA for Instant Prizes, Photo Ops, and Sweepstakes FX is bringing the world of...

Glorya Kaufman, Dance, Arts and Health Philanthropist Who Transformed L.A.’s Landscape, Dies at 95

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

From Culver City, Brentwood, UCLA, USC, and Downtown LA, Her Generosity was Legendary Glorya Kaufman, a transformative benefactor to the...

From Pop-Up to Permanent: Mustard’s Bagels Secures Home Base in Culver City and Is Now Open

August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025

Bakery Will Bake Bagel Favorites and Seasonal Specials While New Space Takes Shape. By Dolores Quintana There’s even more great...

Overnight Lane Closures Set for I-405 Through Sepulveda Pass Next Week

August 7, 2025

August 7, 2025

Caltrans to Close Multiple Northbound and Southbound Lanes Nightly  Caltrans will implement overnight lane closures along Interstate 405 in the...

Levain Bakery Lands in Beverly Hills with Cookies, Swag, and a Sweet Surprise

August 7, 2025

August 7, 2025

Newest Location’s Debut Includes Limited-Edition Flavor, Early-Bird Giveaways Levain Bakery will mark the opening of its newest location in Beverly...

Bistro Blue’s One Night Only Seasonal Menu Pops Up at Little City Farms August 10

August 6, 2025

August 6, 2025

Chef Kara Vorabutr’s Garden Dinner Promises to be a Seasonal Showstopper Bistro Blue, a pop-up concept by Chef Kara Vorabutr,...

Cardinale du Vin’s Weekend Izakaya Pop-Up Blends Thai Flavors and Japanese Dishes

August 6, 2025

August 6, 2025

Three Nights Only: Thai-Japanese Fusion Menu Launched in Pico-Robertson Cardinale du Vin is unveiling a special izakaya-inspired menu this weekend,...

Santa Monica’s Chez Jay Celebrates 66 Years with Retro Bash by the Beach

August 6, 2025

August 6, 2025

Landmark Restaurant Celebrates With Classic Cars, Live Music, Celebrity Lore One of Los Angeles County’s most storied restaurants will mark...

Film Review: Weapons

August 6, 2025

August 6, 2025

By Dolores Quintana You might be asking yourself what the film Weapons is about. Not to worry, writer and director...

Trial Date Set for Alleged ‘Ketamine Queen’ in Matthew Perry’s Death

August 5, 2025

August 5, 2025

Woman Accused in Matthew Perry’s Overdose to Face Jury The woman accused of supplying the fatal dose of ketamine that...

Culver City’s Sunset Concert Series Keeps the Beat Going All Summer Long

August 5, 2025

August 5, 2025

Summer Nights Heat Up at the Culver Steps with a Latin Dance Party  Culver City’s 2025 Summer Sunset Concert Series...

DUI Suspect Identified and Charged in Crash That Killed 9-Year-Old, Injured Brother

August 5, 2025

August 5, 2025

RV Driver to Face Serious Felony Charges After Striking Boys Riding E-Scooter The 46-year-old man who was allegedly driving under...

Deadly Crosswalk Hit and Run in West Adams, Victim Hit Multiple Times and Left to Die

August 4, 2025

August 4, 2025

Police Seek Public Help to Identify Three Drivers Who Struck and Killed a Pedestrian  Detectives with the Los Angeles Police...