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    Bravo for these residents starting something new
    • April 27, 2026

    Huntington Beach resident begins Peace Corps service

    Serena Starks of Huntington Beach has been accepted into the Peace Corps. She was scheduled to depart for Peru on April 5 to begin training as a community economic development facilitator.

    Starks is a graduate of Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs.

    “The Peace Corps’ emphasis on powering human connection across cultures reflects the type of service I believe creates lasting impact,” Starks said.

    The Peace Corps’ community economic development facilitators enhance individuals’ money management skills, train youth and women in business skills, and coach women in personal development. They build capacity through one-on-one relationships to expand income generation, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The goal is to foster economic development in rural communities.

    Starks joins the 346 California residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 31,243 residents from this state have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

    Peace Corps volunteers serve in host communities for two years after three months of training and receive a living stipend, housing, extensive language and technical training, and financial benefits that can include graduate school fellowships after service.

    Anyone interested in joining can apply online. Visit peacecorps.gov to learn more about Peace Corps volunteer service in 60 countries.

    – Submitted by Peace Corps

    • Serena Starks of Huntington Beach will serve as a Peace...

      Serena Starks of Huntington Beach will serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru.
      (Courtesy of Serena Starks)

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    Serena Starks of Huntington Beach will serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru.
    (Courtesy of Serena Starks)

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    Inaugural Girl Scout Day luncheon celebrates women’s leadership

    The recent National Girl Scout Day marked 114 years since the founding of the Girl Scouts. The day also marked the launch of a new event for Girl Scouts of Orange County: EmpowerHER: A Celebration of Women Leaders.

    The inaugural National Girl Scout Day luncheon at South Coast Repertory featured a film screening of “Defining Moments,” the story of the first national Girl Scouts CEO, Frances Hesselbein.

    The event celebrated local leaders, most notably Honorary Chair Nella Webster O’Grady, who was presented with the inaugural EmpowerHER Award, recognizing her decades of leadership and philanthropic dedication to Orange County.

    “This event was born from one important question,” said Vikki Shepp, CEO of Girl Scouts of Orange County. “How do we honor our history in a way that also invites new voices into the future? We created EmpowerHER to celebrate legacy, expand our circle, and ensure that every girl has access to opportunity, mentorship and leadership pathways.”

    The final event in the program was a surprise premiere of the new “PowHERful” PSA Campaign celebrating Girl Scouts of Orange County.

    Proceeds from EmpowerHER go directly to Girl Scout programs in Orange County.

    – Submitted by Girl Scouts of Orange County

    2 Orange County students’ artworks displayed in D.C. exhibition

    The artworks of two Orange County students are among the pieces showcased at the new Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, which is steps from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

    The students are Callie Lonowski from Brea Olinda High School in Brea and Hannah Yee from Esperanza High School in Anaheim. Both girls were in grade 11 at the time of their award in 2024.

    The works are part of a permanent ARTEFFECT exhibition, “Visualizing Impact,” that features more than 40 creations by young artists in grades 6-12 from around the globe.

    The inaugural exhibition includes visual artworks, text panels and short films that celebrate the inspiring stories of unsung heroes – role models, largely unrecognized by society, who demonstrated heroic character traits such as courage, selflessness and perseverance and took extraordinary actions in service to others that made a positive and profound impact on the course of history.

    Founded by Lowell Milken in 2016, ARTEFFECT fosters reflection on the invaluable contributions of these unsung heroes through the creation of original visual art. The young artists chose their subjects from ARTEFFECT’s expanding directory of more than 100 diverse individuals spanning centuries and all fields of endeavor. The stories were unearthed and developed through project-based learning activities and the Discovery Award at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.

    The exhibition explores the powerful stories of unsung heroes through thematic groups: freedom, justice, remembering the Holocaust, wartime unsung heroes, women in steam, innovation and new technologies, and medical breakthroughs.

    The Bravo! section highlights achievements of our residents and groups. Send news of achievements for consideration to ocrbravo@gmail.com.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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