By SHIM LACY

For the Bulletin

Once again, Manteca’s young leaders took center stage as the community gathered to celebrate the 2025 Manteca Youth Focus Scholarship Competition.

 The event, now in its 31st year, continues to reflect the spirit of Manteca: commitment to service, encouragement of talent, and a strong belief in the power of education.

This year, 42 bright and motivated young men and women stepped forward to represent their city with pride. Their journeys through the competition highlighted not only their skills and leadership but also their dedication to making a difference. In recognition of their efforts, MYF awarded $16,675 in scholarships—the most ever awarded in a single year.

The competition was held at Calvary Community Church in Manteca.

Placing first in the competition for their age division – these are the representatives of Manteca and Manteca Youth Focus for 2025. Their scholarships are sponsored by Manteca Youth Focus and Amber Campbell, Miss Manteca 2000):

* Miss Manteca Kylie Anderson (Stage Arts; $5,000)

*Manteca City Ambassador Nihar Jain (Personality Interview, $5,000)

*Miss Teen Manteca Kayleigh Douglas (Personality Interview; $500) 

*Teen Manteca City Ambassador Abhimanyu Nair (Personality Interview; $500)

*Miss Young Manteca Alani McBroom (Personality Interview; $200)

* Young Manteca City Ambassador Sai Sumeet Chetri (Personality Interview; $200)

Placing second in the competition for their age division – these are the representatives of the Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis and the 2025 Manteca Pumpkin Fair this October. Their scholarships are sponsored by the Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis:

* Miss Pumpkin Fair Mallory Myers (Personality Interview; $500) 

*Pumpkin Fair Ambassador Kushagra Patel (Communicative Skills; $500)

*Miss Teen Pumpkin Fair Yannis Ang (Personality Interview: $250)

*Teen Pumpkin Fair Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Konduru (Personality Interview; $250)

*Miss Young Pumpkin Fair Shreya Bharti (PERFECT SCORE Personality Interview; $100)

*Young Pumpkin Fair Ambassador Albert Wang (Personality Interview; $100)

Placing third in the competition for their age division - these are the representative of the Manteca Chamber of Commerce and the 2026 Crossroads Watermelon Street Fair next June. Their scholarships are sponsored by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce and Besitos Fine Cuisine.

*Miss Watermelon Street Fair Aanya Rao (Personality Interview; $500)

*Watermelon Street Fair Ambassador Marcus Ang (Academic Achievement; $500)

* Miss Teen Watermelon Street Fair Nikitha Muruganagarajan (Personality Interview; $250)

*Teen Watermelon Street Fair Ambassador Shalom Kohinoordeep Singh (Stage Arts; $250)

*Miss Young Watermelon Street Fair Charis Ang (Volunteer Service; $100)

*Young Watermelon Street Fair Ambassador Lakshit Siwal (Academic Achievement; $100)

Placing fourth in the competition for their age division - these are the representatives of MYF and various winter holiday-themed events in the community including the Manteca Chamber of Commerce Twilight Holiday Parade and Christmas at the Park, City of Manteca Manteca Recreation Department Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas at the Center and the Hospice of San Joaquin Manteca and Ripon Tree Lighting Ceremonies.

*Miss Winter Fest Prachi Yadav (Communicative Skills; $250)

*Winter Fest Ambassador Shaurya Khairmode (Academic Achievement; $250)

*Miss Teen Winter Fest Morgan Silva (Academic Achievement, $125)

*Teen Winter Fest Ambassador Harshith Kumar (Academic Achievement; $125)

*Miss Young Winter Fest Elyse Vonasek (Academic Achievement, $50)

Additionally non-finalist scholarships were awarded to the following participants.

*Prajwal Nagendra (Academic Achievement; $100)

*Sai Sharan Nellutla (Academic Achievement; $100)

* Saige Carstersen (Academic Achievement; $100)

*Neriah Flores (Volunteer Service; $100)

*Giselle Patterson (Academic Achievement; $100)

* Spandan Nikam (Academic Achievement; $50)

*Paayal Kumari (Academic Achievement; $50)

*Zainab Sami (Academic Achievement; $50)

*Samaira Jain (Communicative Skills; $25)

*Olivia Robinson (Academic Achievement; $25)

*Miranda Silva (Academic Achievement; $25)

*Nissi Victoria Singh (Communicative Skills; $25)

* Mahira Yadav (Academic Achievement; $25)

These are the winners of the various special awards.

Talent “Imagination” Award: (highest score in stage arts phase of competition)

*Young: Nissi Singh (Bhangra Dance)

*Teen: Shalom Singh (Bhangra Dance)

*Upper: TIE Marcus Ang (Piano) and Kylie Anderson (Baton)

Academic Achievement “Resiliency” Award: (highest score in academic achievement phase of competition)

*Young: TIE Alani McBroom and Elyse Vonasek

*Teen: Abhi Nair

*Upper: Marcus Ang

Volunteer Service “Kindness Matters” Award: (highest score in volunteer service phase of competition)

*Young: TIE Charis Ang and Shreya Bharti

*Teen: Kayleigh Douglas

*Upper: TIE Kylie Anderson and Nihar Jain

Most Inspirational Award: (as voted by the contestants)

*Young: Shreya Bharti

*Teen: Shalom Singh

The “People’s Choice Award” winner was chosen via a fundraiser voted on by members of the audience. While it has no bearing on the overall outcome of the competition, it is a fun way for the family of the contestants to show their

*Young: Nissi Singh

*Teen: Shalom Singh

*Upper: Kush Patel

The Above & Beyond Recognition Award recognizes contestants for going above and beyond in their fundraising efforts. It has no bearing on the official outcome of the competition.

*Bronze: TIE siblings Nissi and Shalom Singh raised $1,250

*Silver: Kush Patel; $1,600

*Platinum: Nihar Jain; $3,749 - also earned a one-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca for a family of four!

This year’s competition was not only a showcase of talent and leadership but also a celebration of community generosity.

Through the People’s Choice Award fundraiser, families and friends contributed $5,300 to the MYF scholarship fund, while contestants went above and beyond with their own fundraising efforts.

Together, these contributions set the stage for a historic milestone: the largest scholarships ever awarded in our program’s history.

 The top prizes for Miss Manteca and Manteca City Ambassador increased from $1,500 to $5,000 each, thanks to the success of the inaugural MYF Jubilee fundraising contest - a fun ‘pageant’ for adults - and a matching gift from alumna Amber Campbell.

Once a contestant herself — earning the crowns of Miss Teen Winter Fest, Miss Teen Manteca, and Miss Manteca — Campbell now gives back as a member of the board of directors, ensuring future generations have the same opportunities she once enjoyed. With this momentum, MYF looks forward to another year of empowering youth to lead, serve, and shine.