{"id":341845,"date":"2026-06-01T19:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/341845\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:59:08","slug":"bravo-for-an-oc-dancer-doctors-working-abroad-and-more-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/341845\/","title":{"rendered":"Bravo for an OC dancer, doctors working abroad and more \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

OC teen places 5th in international ballet competition<\/p>\n

Leon Yusei Sai, a 15-year-old Huntington Beach resident and Edison High School student, has been awarded fifth prize at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, one of the world\u2019s most prestigious international ballet competitions for young dancers.<\/p>\n

Leon is the second-highest-placing male competitor and the youngest competitor in the field. As a Japanese citizen, he represented Japan.<\/p>\n

The accomplishment is a rare elite international honor, spotlighting on a global stage the Huntington Beach student and Southland Ballet Academy where he trains.<\/p>\n

Eighty-one young dancers (43 girls, 38 boys) from 18 countries were selected to compete in Lausanne out of 444 applicants. During competition week, 78 candidates participated in the selection rounds, 21 advanced to finals, and 14 dancers were named prize winners, earning scholarships and apprenticeships with leading dance schools and companies worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Submitted by Southland Ballet Academy<\/p>\n

\"Southland<\/p>\n

Southland Ballet Academy student Leon Yusei Sai, 15, of Huntington Beach performs during the 54th Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition in Lausanne, Switzerland.
\n(Courtesy of Gregory Batardon \/ Prix de Lausanne)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Dr. Matthew Coulson, a pediatrician with MemorialCare Medical Group-Laguna Hills, examines a boy\u2019s ears during a medical mission trip to remote communities in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
\n(Courtesy of MemorialCare)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Dr. Vinh Nguyen, a family medicine physician at MemorialCare Medical Group-Huntington Beach, and a patient exchange smiles as he reviews medical notes and provides guidance on care in a remote community in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
\n(Courtesy of MemorialCare)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Project Vietnam Foundation team, including doctors, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists and volunteers, gathers after a successful week of delivering care to over 2,300 patients in the remote Soc Trang province in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
\n(Courtesy of MemorialCare)\n<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left, Dale Vogel, Pam Atkins, Kara Demostene, and veterans Marcos Villa and Alex Trujillo stand with the lunch that was served to veterans.
\n(Courtesy of Newport Harbor Elks Lodge)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

Southland Ballet Academy student Leon Yusei Sai, 15, of Huntington Beach performs during the 54th Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition in Lausanne, Switzerland.
\n(Courtesy of Gregory Batardon \/ Prix de Lausanne)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a>
\nLocal physicians deliver health care in underserved Vietnam region<\/p>\n

Two MemorialCare Medical Group physicians returned from Vietnam after providing lifesaving health care to more than 2,300 residents in one of the country\u2019s most underserved regions.<\/p>\n

Pediatrician Dr. Matthew Coulson, of MemorialCare Medical Group-Laguna Hills, and family medicine physician and chief medical information officer Dr. Vinh Nguyen, of MemorialCare Medical Group-Huntington Beach, spent a week on a team that provided medical, dental and vision care in the Mekong River Delta\u2019s Soc Trang province as part of a humanitarian mission with the Project Vietnam Foundation (PVNF).<\/p>\n

During the mission, the team transformed rural middle schools into temporary clinics, giving residents direct access to health care rarely available in the region.<\/p>\n

Working alongside 11 physicians, six dentists, four pharmacists, four optometrists and more than 20 volunteers, the group provided 1,500 prescription glasses, conducted 800 dental exams and procedures, and cared for roughly 900 children, many of whom were seeing a health care professional for the first time.<\/p>\n

For Nguyen, who is Vietnamese but U.S.-born, the mission held deep personal significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cReturning to my family\u2019s roots to serve was humbling and profoundly meaningful,\u201d he said. \u201cEven though the days were long, it never felt like a burden. The smiles we saw made every moment worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each morning began before sunrise with volunteers traveling hours over rural roads to reach remote communities in the Mekong Delta. By the time the team arrived, families were already waiting, with some having journeyed long distances for the chance to see a doctor.<\/p>\n

The mission extended into a second week in Ho Chi Minh City, where PVNF surgical teams performed life-changing procedures, including cleft lip and palate repairs for children who otherwise might never receive corrective surgery.<\/p>\n

These operations will impact patients for a lifetime, improving speech, nutrition and quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Submitted by MemorialCare<\/p>\n

Elks members serve those who served<\/p>\n

Members of the Veteran Committee of Newport Harbor Elks Lodge gave back to those who have given so much.<\/p>\n

The committee spent an afternoon at Buena Esperanza community in Anaheim, hosting a taco lunch, providing groceries and leading a lively bingo game complete with prizes for local veterans.<\/p>\n

The event was made possible through a $1,000 Freedom Grant awarded to Newport Harbor Elks Lodge by the Elks National Foundation. The funds allowed committee members to provide both immediate assistance and a welcoming, community-focused experience for veterans living at Jamboree Housing.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Submitted by Newport Harbor Elks Lodge<\/p>\n

The Bravo! section highlights achievements of our residents and groups. Send news of achievements for consideration to ocrbravo@gmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OC teen places 5th in international ballet competition Leon Yusei Sai, a 15-year-old Huntington Beach resident and Edison…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,10316,7,588,23,611,77],"class_list":["post-341845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-bravo","tag-california","tag-huntington-beach","tag-local-news","tag-orange-county","tag-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}