Catalina Foothills Alumni

05/30/2026

Congratulations to this star of stage and science, Foothills grad Dani Wright ‘01!

Dani Wright, SARSEF Chief Programs Officer, has been awarded the Excellence in Science Fair Leadership Award from the Science Fair Director's Institute (SFDI). The award recognizes directors who consistently goes above and beyond in their role by demonstrating innovation in program development, strength in community and institutional partnerships, and a deep investment in student success.

"“Dani brings creativity, precision, and innovation to her leadership. Her go-getter attitude and strong work ethic fuel her ability to build meaningful partnerships, expand equitable access, and design impactful, student-centered programming.” - Alexa Groff, Vice President of SFDI

Learn more about SFDI at https://www.scifairdirectors.org/

Image Description: Dani Wright, Chief Programs Officer, smiles at the camera and is holding an award.

05/27/2026

🎉Foothills grad on the Forbes Best-in-State list!

Congratulations to Foothills grad Sergio Mejia '09, who was recently recognized on the Forbes 2026 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list!

Sergio is a Senior Vice President and International Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he's been since 2016 helping high-net-worth families and businesses pursue their financial goals. A first-generation immigrant from Colombia, he went on from CFHS to earn dual degrees in Business Administration and Communications from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management.

This latest honor follows a stretch of well-earned recognition: the Phoenix Business Journal's 40 Under 40, the 2025 Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors list, and the 2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list for Clark, Mejia & Associates.

What stands out just as much as the accolades is Sergio's commitment to giving back. He serves as Vice President of Membership for the Active 20-30 Club of Phoenix, one of the valley's oldest philanthropic organizations supporting underprivileged children, and is an active member of Bank of America's Hispanic Leadership Business Council, providing financial education and business resources to the Hispanic-Latino community.

Congratulations, Sergio! We're proud to count you as one of ours.

05/20/2026

Join us to turn our Grad Night island paradise back into a gym!
🏝️Thursday, May 21, starting at 5 a.m. through 9ish.
Breakfast burritos on us!

Grad Night Fun Fact: What gets built in 4 days must be cleaned up in 4 hours. Our committee needs your help! Please consider donating an hour or two tomorrow morning to help out our weary clean-up crew!

Clean up starts at 5am and goes until it is done. See you then!

05/19/2026

🔬Alumni Spotlight: Foothills grad Hayley McCausland '10

When Hayley McCausland graduated from Catalina Foothills High School, she carried with her a curiosity about how living things work. Today, that curiosity has taken her from microbiology labs at UC Berkeley to Washington, D.C., where she is helping shape the future of biotechnology in the United States.

Hayley is currently serving as a Biotechnology Regulatory Fellow at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a fellowship that places early-career scientists at the intersection of research, regulation, and policy. She is engaging with regulators, developers, and congressional staff on emerging questions in microbial biotech.

After CFHS, Hayley earned a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University, then completed her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley in 2021. From there, she spent four years at Pivot Bio, an agricultural biotechnology company, designing experimental workflows and helping scale research that brings microbial products from the lab toward the market.

"After working in agriculture biotechnology, moving into the regulatory space felt like a natural next step," Hayley shared. "I'm looking forward to building on my industry experience and carrying these perspectives forward into whatever comes next."

Hayley's journey is a reminder that a CFHS education opens doors in directions you might never expect. Congratulations on this exciting next chapter, Hayley.

05/13/2026

Today’s New York Times reports a decade-long decline in American student test scores. The drop cuts across income, geography, and race, and even most high-income districts have lost ground. We wanted to share where CFSD stands. Over the past ten years, our students gained in reading and remain well above the national average in both reading and math. We are not satisfied, but we are grateful. Thank you to the teachers and families who make this possible.

Dear CFSD community,This morning, the New York Times published a major story on a decade-long decline in American student test scores. The article, based on new data from Stanford's Educational Opp...

05/12/2026

Foothills grad Nathaniel Cross ‘22 has been named a Lionel E. Rombach Outstanding Student in the University of Arizona’s Master of Public Policy program. The Rombach Award honors graduate students who pair academic excellence with a real commitment to public service.
That commitment has been part of Nathaniel’s story for a long time. He started as a Teen Attorney with Pima County Teen Court back in 2016, while he was a student at Orange Grove Middle School, and stayed with the program for six years, eventually leading it as President. Today, he’s a Legal Intern with Chicanos Por La Causa, working on immigration cases, while finishing his Master’s in Public Policy Analysis this month.
Same passion for restorative justice. Bigger platform.
Congratulations, Nathaniel!

https://sgpp.arizona.edu/news/2026-outstanding-awards?fbclid=IwdGRleARwVHRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeF05UUoCViQULsT1gnDZzGuweSzbBWUaPTHa0RqDavYh-EBXbeEHyAm1CL6k_aem_1Cv0IBbjxhkubeJaAqUQTQ

2026 Outstanding Awards Today Congratulations to our 2026 Outstanding Award recipients! Image [pictured left to right]Nathaniel Cross - Rombach Outstanding Student, Master of Public PolicyDoris Mensah - Rombach Outstanding Student, Master of Public AdministrationDr. Liz Baldwin - Program DirectorDr....

05/12/2026

A BLAST FROM THE FOOTHILLS FALCON THEATRE PAST!

We have digitized every image and created mp4s of every show we had on file from 1996 to 2020.

Want pictures or video from your years? Email me with the specific years you want and I'll share what I have: [email protected]

Please pass this along to ANYONE AND EVERYONE who'd want to see or download archived shows and pictures from their time at Foothills Falcon Theatre.

Now, help me complete the collection! I want everything you've got.

Many years are missing photos and videos. For example, 1999, 2015, and 2018 have nothing in the folder. If you have anything, from any year, I want it.

Ask your parents to look around the house. Ask Grandma where the old high school pictures are stored. Dig into that box from high school you haven't opened in years (decades, for some of you).

Hard copies are welcome. I have Theatre Minions who scan and transfer images, video, DVDs, and VHS tapes. You can also forward, zip, or Dropbox digital files straight to me.

And you might have heard the rumors... I am now Falcon Theatre Company's newest (and Oldest) Scene Shop Foreman!

Please share your theatre memories with your cast and crew.

[email protected]

05/11/2026

Foothills grad Rohini Ghosh '22 is a current Chemical Engineering student at the University of Arizona's W.A. Franke Honors College, where she is also pursuing a minor in Statistics and Data Science. 🎓
Rohini has plans to build a career in semiconductors or pharmaceuticals after she graduates. In this video, she talks about how scholarship dollars made all the difference in her undergraduate experience.
We are so proud of you, Rohini. The future is in good hands.

Chemical engineering student Rohini Ghosh explains how scholarships at the University of Arizona help her achieve her goals.The College of Engineering offers...

05/08/2026

CFSD's new logo was designed by a grad!

Ted Tucker's connection to Catalina Foothills School District spans more than three decades. He walked the halls of Manzanita Elementary, Orange Grove Middle School, and Catalina Foothills High Sch...

05/06/2026

If a CFSD teacher has shaped your child's year, your family's experience, or your own time as a student, please take a few minutes to nominate them. Four awardees will receive a $2,500 personal cash prize and an additional $2,500 for their school district, all sponsored by Raytheon, an RTX Business. Eight more finalists will each receive $500. Every finalist will be honored at the Stand Up 4 Teachers event on November 5.

Nominate an educator for the E.L.E.V.A.T.E. Awards, sponsored by Raytheon | an RTX Business, and help recognize leadership in Southern Arizona schools.