Palm Valley senior Luke Sonderman is the California Scholarship Federation South Region Seymour Memorial Award winner. This is one of the state’s most prestigious scholarships. After an all-day interview on Saturday, April 27, in Irvine with the other nine finalists, CSF judges selected Luke for his leadership skills and acumen. Said Ms. Cherise Sonderman (Luke’s mother), “The finalists all had crazy amazing qualifications. But when they said it was all based on today’s interview and discussion, I had a feeling.” Luke said he could tell it was time to step up and be a voice in the group discussions. His mother added, “One of [the judges] mentioned that Luke really led most of the discussions of this group of leaders.” These honor-society finalists will be attending some of the finest universities in the country. Each goes home with $2,000. Luke earns an additional $3,000. While our Palm Valley Chapter of CSF has sent half a dozen finalists on to the final interview in previous years, Luke is the first in our school and chapter history to be the regional winner. Of the day, Luke said, “It was fun.”