Congratulations to the 2019 Award Recipient, David Topchyan!

David Topchyan graduated from SOAR (Students On Academic Rise) High School, Lancaster, California, on Thursday May 30, 2019. David plans to continue his education at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia studying Computer Science/Business Administration. David has distinguished himself as a leader both in academics and in the community. He is an active tutor assisting other students at SOAR High School. In the community David also helped to organize the Color Vibe 5K Run for the city, conducted math Tutoring for local churches and at SOAR High School and helped to set up a Carnival for kids at Esperanza Elementary School.

One of the more significant accomplishments from David will leave his mark on the SOAR High School for generations to come. As described by one of his teachers, Rachel K.M. Thibault, MPH, MA,  
“As a Title I, low-income, Early College High School, our students face significantly difficult circumstances with perseverance, character and grit. As a first-generation college student from a single-income home, David is an exemplary representation of SOAR. He realizes the great opportunity he has been given, to receive a high school and college education simultaneously, and maximizes that opportunity daily by continually pushing himself. It has been a distinct honor to get to know David really well as a leader on our Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam. Our little school was one of only fifteen in the country last school year to win a $10,000 grant through the Lemelson-MIT Program to design and build an invention that would solve a real-world problem. In wanting to serve our community and college students across the country, we invented a proximity alert system that is affordable, reliable and user-friendly. As a leader on both the Design and Technology sub-teams, David served an integral role in bringing our invention to life. He not only helped design an app interface to interact with our sensor device using his computer science skills, but he also led all of the team’s efforts in graphic design and marketing to better communicate with the community. As a result of his natural business and finance skills, we were able to both stay on budget as well as garner considerable financial support from our local community. David’s role has been integral, and he has proven himself to be one of the most reliable and grounded students on the team. He innately demonstrates by example how to balance hard work and cheerfulness through an exceptional level of intelligence and commitment. “

Rachel K.M. Thibault, MPH, MA, SOAR High School, Teacher,
Science Department, Chair,
Antelope Valley College, Adjunct Professor,
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, Advisor,

David Topchyan continues the tradition of representing the highest quality student possible among his peers to receive this scholarship. Congratulations David, we wish you the very best as you continue to pursue excellence in all you do.