Santa Ynez High School seniors were honored at recent Elks Lodge meetings
The Santa Maria Valley Elks Lodge honored its two most recent Students of the Month from Santa Ynez High School during recent meetings. Ben Flores is the February honoree, while Mykah Hardy is the March honoree.
Ben, the February Students of the Month, has earned recognition for his athletic exploits, having been a three-sport star all four years at SYHS. He was a team captain and co-MVP in football, team caption and two-time all-league in wrestling, and a four-year varsity letterman in baseball.
Ben is also strong academically, having completed all his A-G requirements to be eligible for a four-year school.
He hopes to play baseball at Santa Barbara City College or Allan Hancock College and then transfer to Oregon or Cal Poly SLO. He is considering a major in engineering.
“Ben is such a joy to have on campus,” said Alexa Tomasini, administrative assistant at SYHS. “His attitude is infectious as well as his smile. I have never seen Ben in a bad mood but I love that I have seen him in a very intense mood. He is someone that gives it all.”
Mykah Hardy, the Elks Student of the Month for March, has distinguished herself with her work in the Santa Ynez FFA. She is currently FFA vice president, participating in public speaking competitions, raising a lamb for the 2025 Santa Barbara County fair, and attended several conferences with SYHS’s FFA chapter, such
as the state conference, where she was a Job interview sectional finalist (public speaking).
Mykah has taken eight college courses and six courses in the A-G pathway. A National Honors Society member, she currently has a 3.5 GPA, and is going to attend Texas Tech University, majoring in pre-vet and minoring in agriculture. She plans to become a large-animal veterinarian specializing in horses and cattle. She has done ride-alongs at Alamo Pintado with Dr. Tyler Stevenson and Dr. Carolina Lopez.
She played varsity softball her sophomore and junior year, serving as team captain her junior year. She also loves rodeo, especially breakaway and team roping, which she does for fun. Outside of school, she currently works at Pico restaurant in Los Alamos a few days a week, and has worked for Fess Parker Ranch Beef, marketing/selling wagyu beef at the Santa Barbara farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays.
Both students received a check from the Elks Lodge toward future school expenses. Congratulations to Ben and Myka.
