Hopi High academic achievers honored

Diana Fernando and LeAnna Leyva were good students as they earned a trip under the Christmas tree. They both won awards in journalism.

Diana Fernando and LeAnna Leyva were good students as they earned a trip under the Christmas tree. They both won awards in journalism.

POLACCA, Ariz. - LeAnna Leyva and Dianna Fernando were two of about 120 academic award winners Dec. 20 in the Hopi High School cafeteria.

About 300 family, friends and staff piled into the cafeteria for the awards dinner.

Leyva, a junior, won the award for top journalist. She also won awards for statistics and physics.

"I knew I would get an award for journalism, but it was exciting because I thought that would be the only award," she said. "I was surprised I got awards in the other classes, especially physics because we work in groups and some in our group were really smart."

Levya, who previously won an award from the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association for journalism, said the physics class is also right after lunch when she doesn't have much energy.

She is in National Honor Society, student council and plays softball for Hopi High. She plans to major in journalism and minor in veterinary science at the University of New Mexico.

Fernando received the award for cub reporter since this is her first year in journalism.

"Winning the award made me happy and made my grandparents proud," she said.

Fernando said winning the award will motivate her to work harder. This wasn't her first award as last year she won an award for excelling at Native American studies. She is an honor roll student who is also helping the senior class raise money for the senior trip to California.

Fernando, who is Laguna and Hopi, credited her best friend and Hopi High journalism student Tarrah Tewanema for helping her with interviewing tips.

Fernando plans to major in journalism or accounting, but hasn't decided where she will go to college.

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