Alex Stoken graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee last month. This young man has already achieved a long and distinguished resume. He not only graduated with a Diploma of Distinction from the STEM Academy as valedictorian, he also amassed numerous prestigious awards from both his high school and outside agencies.
His school, part of the Tempe Union High School District, awarded Alex the Joe Seleh Golf Sportsmanship Award twice; he was named Scholar Athlete of the Year and received a Community Service Letter all four years. He received an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award from the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair and was recognized for his Outstanding Research by the ASM Materials Education Foundation.
Alex is a National Merit Finalist, a National AP Scholar and a Coca-Cola Scholar. There are many more titles we could list, but perhaps most importantly, Alex is also a mensch.
Son of Alan and Jodi Stoken, Alan was born in Arizona in 1997 and began his education at the East Valley JCC, where he attended daycare, preschool and kindergarten. The family belonged to Temple Emanuel of Tempe where Alex went to religious school and became a bar mitzvah. That is where he heard about B’nai Tzedak, the teen philanthropy department of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix. Director Andrea Cohen spoke to the bar mitzvah class and parents about the program. Alex “jumped right on board and loved it from the beginning; Andrea is a great mentor for the kids, ” Jodi says.
Alex established his own fund with gift money from his bar mitzvah and became active in the organization, serving as a member of the Youth Philanthropy Board all four years. He also was a member of the Jewish Community Foundation Grants Committee this year, helping to allocate $200,000 to local and Israel-based organizations.
Although school and related activities have kept him from getting more than causally involved in other Jewish teen organizations, Alex found that B’nai Tzedek was a program where he really wanted to play a role. He explains, “I think my interest in B’nai Tzedek came from two places. One, from Andrea’s presentation at temple, and two from some of the things my family was involved in. Through my mom’s work at the Child Crisis Center, I was able to see the amazing impact of nonprofits and, as I learned from my parents and grandparents, (that) these nonprofits couldn’t function without the generosity of philanthropists. B’nai Tzedek seemed like the perfect way to get involved and contribute to these causes.”
There are a couple other accolades deserving of mention.
Alex is one of 12 Arizona students named a Flinn Scholar. This highly competitive, merit-based award from the Flinn Foundation includes a four-year full scholarship to an Arizona University, including not only tuition, but also room and board. In addition, the scholars will travel to China for a three-week study program after their freshman year and are given the opportunity to study overseas again later. Flinn scholars are often provided internships and meetings with noted professionals in their chosen field, as well. Alex has chosen to attend the University of Arizona Honors College to study physics.
In addition, Alex has been named one of just three students selected from Arizona (and the only one from Maricopa County) as a U.S. Presidential Scholar.
“Presidential Scholars demonstrate the accomplishments that can be made when students challenge themselves, set the highest standards and commit themselves to excellence,” says Anne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. “These scholars are poised to make their mark on our nation in every field imaginable. … Their academic and artistic achievements reflect a sense of purpose that we should seek to instill in all students to prepare them for college, careers, civic responsibilities and the challenges of today’s job market.”
The 2015 ceremony is June 21 in Washington, DC, when each honoree receives a Presidential Scholar Medallion. Alex is aware of the responsibilities that go along with the award.
“I’ve always wanted to make a difference in my community, and this is a sort of acknowledgement that I’ve been able to truly impact the people around me,” he says. “To be able to represent Mountain Pointe and Arizona as one of this year’s scholars is one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve ever had.”
