Our Graduates

The office of the Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church wishes to congratulate all the graduates who submitted, thus self-reporting, their pictures and biographies, hereinafter printed below:

Claudia Anne Alecse

Claudia Alecse, the last of four children of Father Constantin and preoteasa Elena Alecse, was born on August 6, 1981 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Claudia attended the private orthodox church school "Saint Nicholas" in Northridge, California, for eight years, until she graduated and moved on to Bishop Alemany High School.

On June 6, 1999, she graduated with honors and with a full membership in the CSF and NHS societies. Claudia also participated in track, cheerleading, student government, and the academic decathlon, the latter in which she won four gold, four silver, and three bronze in the annual regional competition.

Starting next fall, she will attend UCLA, entering the premedical fields and majoring in neuroscience.

 

Nicoleta Comboianu

Nicoleta Comboianu, daughter of George and Elena Comboianu, has graduated from Alemany High School in June.

Nicoleta was born on March 28, 1981 in the city of Northridge. She will be attending California State University in Northridge in the spring and will be majoring in business administration.

 

Robert Mangu

Robert Mangu is the son of Victor and Maria Mangu, and a brother of Alex Mangu who is eighteen years old.

Robert Mangu was born in Lahr, Germany, on November 15, 1985. Before arriving in the United States, Robert spent ten months in Germany with his parents, and sibling.

At ten months old, Robert arrived safely in California, with his family to begin an entire new life.

Here, Robert attended kindergarten, there after attending elementary school. This year, Robert graduated from the Van Nuys Middle School Math/Science Magnet program, and will attend Van Nuys High School Math/Science Magnet this coming fall.

Robert graduated middle school with high honors. His parents are proud of him and looking forward to continue doing well in his studies.

Throughout these years Robert was very active at the Holy Trinity Church: alter-boy, student of the Sunday school bible bowl. He was involved in many church activities such as caroling group, youth choir, stage performer, and many other youth functions.

We as parents are convinced that Robert will succeed throughout his life to remain a true Christian behavior, displaying and living his Orthodox Faith. Congratulation and the best of luck, Robert.

 

Alexandru Mangu

Alexandru Mangu was born in Bucharest, Romania on March 30, 1981. He is oldest of two sons of Victor and Maria Mangu who immigrated to the United States in the autumn of 1986, taking residency in Los Angeles, California.

Here in Los Angeles, Alex began elementary school and became a member of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church where he made many friends. Ever since, he has enjoyed the heartwarming and pleasant atmosphere Holy Trinity has to offer. Alex became an altar boy and soon enough joined L.A.R.O.Y. He became an active performer in the "Mugurel" dance group and enjoyed the annual Christmas caroling. For the past three years Alex has also been on the youth team representing Holy Trinity in The Bible and Church History Tournament.

By continuing perseverance and dedication, Alex has similarly succeeded at Van Nuys Math/ Science Magnet High School where he graduated at among the top of his class. In addition to doing well academically, Alex also played on the varsity tennis team all four years of high school (being captain of the tennis team his senior year), and winning back-to-back City Championships in 1997 and 1998. He was successfully awarded third place in the 20" annual citywide L.A.U.S.D. computer science competition and became a life member of the California Scholastic Federation. Graduating with 4.1 grade point average Alex was accepted to the University of California San Diego. He will pursue an education in Business Administration.

This has ended a chapter in Alex's life. But it is the beginning of a bigger journey in which he will continue to work hard and make life fulfilling and make his parents proud.

 

Sabrina Michelle Petrescu

Sabrina M. Petrescu was born 18 years ago, on June 26. From the time she was born, her mother Suzan knew she would be a unique person!. Over the years Sabrina has shown her own style - being of Romanian Heritage from both sides of her family, her grandmothers are Sida Sebesian (maternal) and Ileana Petrescu (paternal), a founding member of the Holy Trinity Church.

Sabrina has surprised her father Viorel by being a "joiner" - Sabrina has been active in school activities from Jr. High through High School.

In Jr. High she was a member of the band - Alto Sax, at church she has been part of the youth group, and for a time the "Mugurel" dance group, at its beginning.

In High School she was in a variety of activities - especially in leadership group, in her senior year. Her group planned activities for the Senior year.

Sabrina is working for Froggins Fish Market in Topping , and in her "leisure" time she is a member of the Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe team in Marina Del Rey. Her team competes with other teams and Sabrina has acquired quite a "stroke" with her own car! Her mother Susan is quite proud of her activities, as are her brothers John & Paul, and her sisters Rafina & Gina, and the rest of her family.

As Sabrina graduates from Chatsworth High School, her family wishes her success in whatever she desires.

 

Alex Rotaru

Alexandru Rotaru s-a nascut în Bucuresti, România, din parintii: Eugen Rotaru (scriitor) si Maria Rotaru (actrita).
Absolvent al studiilor liceale la Colegiul National Sfântul Sava ( fost Nicolae Balcescu, fost Sfântul Sava!), în 1990.

În timpul studentiei la Institutul de Fizica Atomica din Bucuresti (Facultatea de Fizica), primeste o bursa la Massachusetts Institute of Technology, în 1992.

Dupa trans-oceanizarea catre USA, absolvent MIT, top honors, în 1994. Înscris la cursurile post-universitare (graduate) de regie de film si televiziune la University of Southern California, School of CNTV.

Dupa trans-bordarea pe coasta de Vest, absolventul USC, Master of Fine Arts in Film/TV Production, în 1998.

În prezent lucreaza freelance ca scenarist si muzician, iar în timpul liber, duminica dimineata, alaturi de un vechi coleg, doctorandul Costin Popescu, cânta Slujba Utreniei, si participa la serviciul divin duminical, la parohia noastra Sf. Treime.

Îi dorim mult succes, si realizari depline pe plan familiar si profesional.

 

Steven C. Sapera

When I have asked Steve to give us a short biography and a picture for the Christian Life, his answer was simple: Am I worthy? I am only an Attorney!

Steven C. Sapera, the same modest man, whom I met some 18 years ago, when he was a handsome teen-ager.
Steve graduated from Whittier Law School in May 1999. A candidate for the 1999 Bar Exam.

He had completed the undergraduate work at University of Southern California, where-from he graduated in 1994 with a political science degree.

Knowing Steve very well, and his beloved family, we offer him, and his parents Gus and Tonya,
whom he loved so much, our congratulations, and the best of luck in life.

 

Mira Laila Trufasiu

Mira Laila Trufasiu, the daughter of Bogdan and Voichita Trufasiu, was born in Timisoara, Romania on March 30, 1981. Mira had the first two and a half years of schooling in Timisoara.

On March 1, 1990 the Trufasius made Los Angeles their home to enjoy the blessing of America. Therefore, Mira continued her education for two years at a public school in Southern California. Moving close to Northridge, Mira was enrolled at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox School, graduating with High Honors.

During 1995-1999 Mira Trufasiu attended Notre Dame High School in North Hollywood, California.

Mira will pursue her studies, through the conventional educational system, at the University of Souther California (USC), pre-med studies, making not only her parents, and grand-parents proud of her, but the whole romanian-american orthodox community as well. We wish her the best of luck!

 

Emilie Mitescu
Graduated from High School

We have just received the picture of Emilie Mitescu, the youngest daughter of Rev.Fr. Catalin Mitescu and presbytera Nicole. Due to the fact that we do not have a biography from Emilie, we are honored to present her picture in this issue of "Christian Life", included in the list of our Romanian-American Community Graduates, congratulating her and her family for all her achievements so far, and wishing her the best of luck in the future.

 

Congratulations, Doctors!

It is indeed the greatest pleasure and prevelege to the office of the Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church to congratulate two "sisters in the Orthodox faith", dr. (Psa) Ana Antoaneta Frunza and dr. Irina Popescu, who passed "cum brio" all the California and National Exams of all the American medical Boards, thus qualifying them to occupy positions in prestigious American Hospitals in differens States: dr. (Psa) Ana Antoaneta Frunza, at the central Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan and and dr. Irina Popescu, USC in California.