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Scholarship Committee Chair, Carrie Callas related to the Club and guests how the committee solicited and reviewed applications for the Service Above Self Scholarship and The Frank J. Schwermin Scholarship. It was a tough decision because all of the applicants had significant community service and high academic performance. The committee selected those they felt rose above the rest. The Service Above Service Scholarship was awarded to Emma Tenner: Emma has been involved throughout her high school career in many activities, including Rotary Interact, in the roles of Treasurer and President during her time, field hockey, and Ambassador Club, to name a few. She has participated in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), has volunteered in a variety of service projects. Her honors include the Honor Society, and the Chinese Honor Society. Emma has done very well academically and has taken multiple AP and Honors courses. Emma will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall. Emma couldn't be present to accept her award, so she sent a video thanking the club. As a member of the Interact club, Rotary has meant a lot to her. Her interests lie in engineering, computer science and bio-chemistry. Len Tenner accepted the scholarship in her honor. Ashley Lew received the Frank J. Schwermin Scholarship. This scholarship is to recognize commitment to community service, strong academics and support a student's pursuit of a career in the medical field. The Trillium Foundation helped to fund this particular award in honor of our mutual dear friend, the last Frank J. Schwermin. Ashley has been involved in a myriad of community service projects, including Feed My Starving Children, Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald House, Bernie’s Books, to name a few. Ashley was a Rotary Interact member, played varsity tennis, was in the Honors Society, and was elected as the President of the Class Board, among many other accomplishments. In Ashley’s essay, she stressed how important helping others is to her and how she learned these values through her parents. She plans to pursue a career in the medical profession, she noted in pediatrics, and will be attending Emory University in the fall.She thanked Rotary, for this scholarship is helping achieve her goal. Susan Bell of College Bound Opportunities (CBO) appreciates Rotary helping these students. The mission of CBO is to mentor, empower and inspire first generation scholars to overcome barriers, graduate college and achieve success in life. She introduced this year's recipients: Maria Bautista - University of Illinois, Springfield (not present) Itzury Barriga - University of Illinois, Chicago (not present) Dana Castilla - Northeastern Illinois University (Marketing & Advertising) Dario Castillo - University of Illinois, Chicago (Architecture) Yailyn Compres - Hope College Pre-med) Emily Elizalde - Illinois State University (Criminal Justice) Haide Rojas - Illinois State University (Business, Pre-med) Sebastian Vergara - Northeastern Illinois University (Accounting) l to r: Len Tenner, Carrie Callas, Ghida Neukirch, Ashley Lew, Dana Castilla, Sebastian Vergara, Haide Rojas, Emily Elizalde, Yailyn Compres, Dario Castillo, Susan Bell (CBO) and Mari Najera (CBO) |
