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Denham will present Sierras Cardoza with Congressional award
SCHOOLS  Riley Cardoza award 5-5
Sierra High senior Riley Cardoza will receive a Congressional Merit award from Congressman Jeff Denham tonight in Modesto. Cardoza will attend Boise State in the fall, where shell also cheer.

It’s been a banner week for Sierra High senior Riley Cardoza – and it’s only Tuesday.

Cardoza will be presented with a Congressional Merit award by Congressman Jeff Denham (R – Turlock) during tonight’s ceremony at Gregori High School in Modesto. The event begins at 6:30 p.m.

Students were nominated based on GPA, leadership, extracurricular activities, school citizenship, volunteerism and community service.

Cardoza was nominated by the staff at Sierra High, including principal Steve Clark. 

The award is well-deserved.

Cardoza is the ASB president, a four-year cheerleader and former track athlete. She sports a 3.9 GPA and ranks in the top 6 percent of her class. She has been involved in student leadership for all four years, the last three of which have been in a top ASB position. Cardoza was the freshman class president in 2011.

Along the way, she has figured prominently in school activities, including: the Interact Club, which serves the community in a variety of ways; and Link Crew, a group that welcomes freshmen to campus.

Cardoza has also interned with the Manteca Police Department, served more than 300 hours of community service and been named Student of the Month by the Kiwanis and Soroptomist.

The Congressional Merit award comes on the heels of news that Cardoza – a competitive dance since the age of 5 – was named to the Boise State cheerleading team.

She participated in a “brutal” three-day tryout over the weekend, said her mother Glenda Cardoza.