West Chicago Rotary honors RYLA, scholarship winners
The 2013 Rotary Scholarship winners and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) recipients were honored at today's luncheon meeting of the West Chicago Rotary at Pal Joey's Restaurant in West Chicago.
In attendance were scholarship winners Elizabeth Youngwith, Cristina Fernandez, and Gaby Hernandez, of West Chicago High School, each of whom received a $1000 scholarship, as well as RYLA participants Alena Troia, a freshman at West Chicago High School and Samantha Quinones, a junior.
“It is a pleasure to be able to award such talented, smart students with our scholarships this year,” said Rotary President Melody E. Coleman, Administrative Librarian of the West Chicago Public Library District. “and also to be able to support RYLA in the development of emerging leaders.”
Each of the girls honored is a member of the Rotary-sponsored Interact, a community service club at the high school that participates in park district, community, and area service club activities such as the semi-annual community blood drive, Lions Club candy day and “Feed My Starving Children” of Aurora. The club's faculty sponsor, Gavin Engel, thanked Rotary on behalf of the Interact Club for its generous support.
Rotary scholarship winners are selected based on criteria beyond their just their grades. Their extra-curricular and volunteer activities also weigh heavily in their selection. Elizabeth, who volunteers with Western DuPage Special Recreation, plans on attending Illinois State University majoring in special education; Cristina, who volunteers with World Relief, plans on first attending College of DuPage and then Western Illinois University majoring in dental hygiene and nutrition; Gaby volunteers for mission trips with St. Mary's and St. Isadore's churches and plans on attending the University of Illinois-Chicago with a pre-med major in biological science.
In recognizing the students' accomplishments Coleman said, “Congratulations on being who you are and what you are and for sharing your future goals with us.”