This Friday, eight people nominated by the community, including a 9/11 hero, two beloved history teachers, an Olympic kayaker and well-known actor, will be inducted into the second annual Mira Costa High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was created last year to honor those graduates who distinguish themselves by contributions to their careers, life endeavors and the country they serve.

The eight graduates, who were chosen from a pool of 28 nominees, will be honored throughout the day Friday, Sept. 28, first at a breakfast reception, then at a school assembly in the auditorium, again at lunch and finally during a halftime ceremony at the football game versus South Torrance.

The inductees will receive resolutions from the city, county and Assemblyman Al Muratsuchis office, along with a swag bag full of a framed certificate, a gold-plated lifetime pass to all Mira Costa High School events, a $50 gift certificate to spend at the kiosk at Fridays game, Mira Costa t-shirts and an aluminum water bottle.

Mira Costa faculty and students believe that positive role models are extremely important in todays world and that these graduates should be held up as models for todays students, said Principal Ben Dale.

The inductees in alphabetical order are

ANTONIO CARBAYO

Antonio Carbayo, a 1978 graduate, embodies the classic Mexican-American immigrant success story. Born in Mexico City, the son of a U.S. citizen father and a Mexican mother, he soon became a naturalized U.S. citizen settling in Southern California. He has always been a hard worker; after receiving the Most Improved Senior Award among other recognition, he went on to El Camino College where he captured his AA degree. He transferred to UCLA where he obtained his bachelors degree in Literature and proceeded to UC Irvine where he obtained his bachelors in Biological Science. As a graduate of the highly acclaimed Post Baccalaureate program at UCI, he was invited to attend UCI Medical School where after completing his Medical Doctor degree went on to specialize in family medicine. As a bilingual doctor, he gives back to his community by providing medical services to an underserved population in Santa Ana. A noted authority in family medicine, he serves as a frequent medical commentator on Spanish Language television stations. He has mentored and inspired many young aspiring doctors to stay in school and pursue their goals.

KENDRA FLEAGLE GORLITSKY

Dr. Kendra Fleagle Gorlitsky, a 1969 graduate, edited La Vista for three years in high school. She now practices Family Medicine with underinsured populations including the homeless, immigrants and others in Central and South LA where she supervises students as Clinical Professor of Medicine at USC and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA. She has served as an expert witness for asylum seekers under the auspices of Program for Torture Victims. She chairs California Hospitals Bioethics Committee Consortium Newsletter, using the skills she learned as a Mustang reporter. Her biggest current challenge is serving as Scout Master for an inner city Boy Scouts troop and is eager for any volunteers. She is the mother of three and her youngest, Garett Gorlitsky, graduated from Costa in 06.

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Mira Costa welcomes its second round of Distinguished Alumni