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Community Corner

LCHS Graduate Awarded Spirit of American Youth Scholarship

Malia Mailes earns $10,000 scholarship honoring extraordinary community service and leadership.

La Cañada High School graduate Malia Mailes has been awarded the Caruso Affiliated Spirit of American Youth Scholarship recognizing outstanding community service and leadership.

The  $10,000 scholarship is awarded to two graduating high school seniors who from the San Fernando or San Gabriel Valleys. Caruso Affiliated seeks out students who have “shown commitment to community improvement and dedication to academic excellence.” Students are selected based not only on their successes and goal, but also on their intent to invest back into their communities in the future.

Rick Caruso, CEO of Caruso Affiliated, noted that both Mailes and winner Brandon Ruvalcaba of Sylmar High School “are inspiring examples of two individuals who have excelled as both dedicated students and as extraordinary members of their community. Both have shining futures ahead of them and we are honored to reward their hard work and exemplary character with these scholarships.”

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Mailes is probably best known in La Cañada for her activism regarding the dangers of truck travel on the Angeles Crest Highway. Troubled by the history of accidents where the Crest meets Foothill Boulevard, including the September 2008 crash when a truck lost its brakes and careened to a stop next to , spewing 78,000 pounds of onions across the intersection in the process, Mailes decided to take on the safety issues in a report for her Girl Scouts Gold Award, similar to a Boy Scout Eagle Scout designation.

“I worked through CalTrans documents, drove routes, talked to people at truck stops, had truck atlases, talked to forest rangers,” Mailes said of the research she conducted for her report, which was presented to La Cañada-Flintridge City Council and passed forward to CalTrans. While CalTrans did not respond to the report, the city supported her and her efforts. Then LCF mayor Laura Olhasso told the Los Angeles Times that Maile’s work was “impressive” and expressed disappointment that it was not receiving greater attention from CalTrans.

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Mailes work was so impressive that she was at the , the truck driver whose rig plowed through the dangerous intersection and came to stop inside the former , injuring 12 and killing a father and daughter. The crash occurred less than a month after Maile’s presented her report to the city and CalTrans.

Mailes also worked with Assemblymember Anthony Portantino on AB 1361, which passed into law this May and bans commercial trucks on the Angeles Crest Highway. “I worked for several hundred hours on that,” Mailes said. “And I traveled to Sacramento to testify.”

But Mailes cites her work as a small group leader for eighth grade girls at the as “on of my favorite experiences in high school.” In addition, Mailes has been named by the Girls Scouts as their “National Young Woman of Distinction” for her community service and leadership. With that award comes a two-year appointment with the National Board of Girl Scouts. Mailes will work as an advisor to adult scout leaders on how to keep Girl Scouts relevant and interesting to today’s girls and young women.

In August, Mailes will be honored as an American Youth Scholarship winner at the annual summer concert series at the Americana at Brand. She will attend UC Berkeley this fall and is considering studying political science and journalism.

“It means a lot to me to have this scholarship that recognizes community service,” Mailes said.

She also plans to continue to be involved in community service.” The thing I really learned is that one person can actually make a change.”

 

 

 

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