
Justine Paragas
Two John Marshall High School students were recipients of LFIA’s annual $2,500 scholarships for outstanding graduating seniors.
Justine Paragas received the Tom LaBonge Leadership Scholarship named in honor of the late Los Angeles city councilmember who served our community for many years and was a JMHS alumnus.
Paragas will be going to Simmons College in Boston to study public health. In addition to medical internships, she was co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s Election Committee and facilitated a virtual Book Club with the public library focusing on teen racial diversity.

Benny Xie
Benny Xie was the recipient of the Charlotte De Armond Leadership Scholarship, named in memory of the long-time community activist and LFIA board president/chairwoman.
Xie will be studying engineering at UC Santa Barbara. Benny served as a volunteer at a Chinatown youth center tutoring students who struggled to overcome the language barrier that he personally experienced. Throughout the pandemic, he continued tutoring in person to assist students in both English proficiency and remote learning.
“LFIA is proud of both Justine and Xie, who excelled both in academics and in their community service,” said LFIA president Amy Gustincic.