Fallon Students Receive Community Service Award

By Sasha Mittal, Fallon MS student

Student members of CJSF (California Junior Scholarship Federation), a community service organization at Fallon Middle School, have won the Marian Huhn scholarship award. Fallon’s CJSF chapter is very active and this is the 4th year in a row that a Fallon board member has won the award. It is the 3rd year in a row in which two board members from Fallon have won.

This prestigious award recognizes junior high school students for their academic excellence and service to the school and community. It makes you wonder, who are these middle schoolers?

Eighth graders Tinni Mukherjee (Secretary) and Matthew Kang (Vice President) work hard to make, not just the community, but the world, a better place. They won this esteemed award for their service and commitment towards others.

I had the opportunity to sit down with them and discuss this achievement.

What inspired you to be in CJSF?

Tinni: “I always felt like, as privileged members of the community, it’s our responsibility to give back to the community.”

Matthew: “When I was a fifth grader, my neighbor, an eighth grader, was the vice president, and he was telling me all these great things about CJSF. The more he talked about it, I realized that I need to be a part of this organization, and truly, it’s been great so far.”

What are some challenges you faced while being on the board, and how did you overcome these challenges?

Tinni: “I think I speak for Matthew as well when I say that one of our biggest problems was communication. At first, we wouldn’t talk to each other enough, be then we decided to works towards our common goal, and I think that’s what allowed us to be successful as part of the board.”

What is the award that you won about?

Tinni: “It’s also about going above and beyond your job description to make the biggest difference possible.”

Matthew: “I think this award really represents your commitment to CJSF and how much you wanted to be a part of it and it, of course, also mentions your outside activities and things you do outside of school, but it’s really your commitment, what you’ve really done for CJSF and your passion for it.”

Did you have to apply for the award?

Tinni: “It was a very extensive 8-page application process, and it was pretty hard. You needed 3 letters of recommendation; one from yourself, one from a community person, and one from the advisor. It was kind of like a job application.”

Matthew: “So like a college application, we had to write down an application based on what they wanted. As I mentioned before, they wanted to know what we did outside of school, what we did in school and things we did in CJSF. We did need a letter of recommendation from a teacher and someone outside of the district.”

How did you feel when you won the award?

Tinni: “To be nominated itself was such a huge honor, but to get the award, it felt really great. The fact that both of us won it was even better because it shows that we can make a difference in the community, and it was amazing to be recognized for that. But the thing is that even if we didn’t get the award, that wouldn’t stop us from making a difference. It was recognition and it felt great.”

Matthew: “We were both very nervous at the start, we all wanted the award, and when we got that award, it felt like we really accomplished something. I know for a fact that once I got the award, I was the last one picked, and I was so nervous. When I got that award, it was like a relief and it’s really just comforting me cause I think that shows that I’ve actually put in the work and they see that I actually committed to CJSF and that’s why they chose me. If we didn’t get the award, either way, it would have motivated us to do even more. For example, if we lost, next time we’ll show them and prove to them that we care.”

What is something you’ve learned from CJSF which you would like to share with others?

Tinni: “I learned from CJSF about the strength in numbers, that we’re an organization of almost 200 students. We’re the largest organization on campus, and we make such a big difference. Most people think that one person can’t make a difference but the thing is, one person can change another person’s life. Think about if everyone was trying to make an impact like that. There’s a quote by Helen Keller where she said that ‘Alone we could do little but together we can do so much’ and that’s so true because all of us together, we establish a team atmosphere.”

Matthew: “I learned how good it feels to give. Helping others makes you feel different and changes you. With CJSF here at Fallon, I hope all students will be able to experience the feelings and emotions I received from being a part of CJSF. It is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Tinni and Matthew have done so much for CJSF this year and they really deserved the Marian Huhn award for their hard work, motivation, and persistence in making CJSF better. The current and future members of CJSF will be able to thank them for all they’ve done in making this program stand out. We will miss these two amazing members of CJSF next year when they join CSF in at Dublin High School, but we will never forget them and how they changed CJSF for Fallon and the future mustangs.