EVERETT – Every year, the Everett Rotary Club helps pay for tuition, books and school supplies for a group of students who have overcome hardships yet risen in their academic ranks.
And these students haven’t just gotten good grades. They’ve volunteered. They’ve helped out at Girl Scouts. They work with Special Olympics.
These students are an exceptional group. And the Everett Rotary gets a chance every year to spotlight their success and the success of students like them, said Frank McCord, Rotary president.
“The priority that comes back every year is to renew our commitment to youth. And helping them is a high priority to the club,” McCord said. “This is our major effort of the Everett Rotary Club. The club has given away millions of dollars, but more than that is seeing what an outstanding group we have every year. It renews our faith.”
And the kids who made these remarkable achievements have done so coming from challenging backgrounds, McCord said.
“These kids, some of whom have come over as refugees, have lifted themselves up by their own bootstraps,” McCord said. “They are a wonderful, well-rounded group and a credit to our community.”
On Tuesday, the Rotary club awarded 31 scholarships to area students ranging from $2,000 to $16,000, for a total of $146,000. Over the past five years, the club has awarded $720,000 to 155 students, and nearly $1.7 million since the late 1950s, when the scholarship program started.
Money for the program comes from the Partners in Excellence program founded in 1999, in which business and family partners contribute between $1,000 and $5,000 annually. Those donations are then matched by the club.
The Rotary Run – scheduled for June 13 this year – is the primary fund-raiser for the scholarship program.
“These young people have high ambitions,” McCord said. “They want to go out and solve the problems of the world. It’s just really inspiring. This is one meeting of the whole year where Rotarians are really feeling good about what we are doing with respect to the scholarships.”
On Tuesday, one such student, Angela Wai-an Li, 17, received a $5,000 scholarship to attend the University of Washington to pursue a bioengineering degree.
The money meant a lot because it was the first scholarship she has received. But the fact that it was the Brett Akio Jensen Memorial Scholarship meant even more.
Jensen was student body president when Li was a freshman at Cascade High School. He died May 7, 2002.
“Having it be the Brett Jensen was that much more special. He was such an amazing person, and for them to award me the scholarship, it’s just such an honor,” Li said Tuesday.
The following students received scholarships Tuesday:
Max Rounds, Kamiak High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Stanford University to pursue a master’s in business administration.
Zach Wegerman, Kamiak High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Dartmouth College and then medical school.
Brianne Butler, Kamiak High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of San Diego to become a dentist.
Nicole Danson, Mariner High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Whitman College to study biology then on to medical school.
Stephanie Danson, Mariner High School, $4,000 for one year, plans to attend Gonzaga University to become a math teacher.
Christina Juarez, Mariner High School, $4,000 for one year, plans to attend Seattle University to enroll in either social sciences or business.
Thuy Trang Ngoc Tran, Mariner High School, $5,000 for one year, plans to attend Seattle University for liberal arts education.
Cody Baker, Sno-Isle Skills Center, $2,500 for one year, plans to attend Olympic Community College to pursue an associate’s degree in fire science.
Ryan Crawford, Sno-Isle Skills Center, $2,500 for one year, plans to attend the electronics technology program at Edmonds Community College.
Kindra Steele, Sequoia High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Everett Community College to become a special education teacher.
Nancy Torrance, Sequoia High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend International Air Academy to become a certified air travel specialist.
Danielle Elliott, Cascade High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to major in biology.
Angela Dokken, Cascade High School, $3,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to major in biology.
Gargi Chakraborty, Cascade High School, $5,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to major in neurobiology.
Angela Wai-An Li, Cascade High School, $5,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to study bioengineering to eventually become a physician.
Carly Ingalls, Everett High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to focus on pre-med.
Jonna Allen, Everett High School, $4,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to major in either English or German.
Diana Swenson, Henry M. Jackson High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Western Washington University to pursue business.
Rheanne Wirkkala, Henry M. Jackson High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Boston University for political science and international relations.
Jessica Caple, Henry M. Jackson High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Western Washington University to pursue social services career.
Lindsey Johnson, Henry M. Jackson High School, $4,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to obtain a bachelor’s degree in communication.
Margaret Robinson, Archbishop Murphy, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Chicago to study near Eastern languages and civilizations.
Alyson Enger, Archbishop Murphy, $3,000 for one year, plans to attend the University of Washington to pursue nursing.
Sara Spangler, Everett High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend Eastern Washington University for mathematics.
Erika Kirkpatrick, Henry M. Jackson High School, $4,000 for one year, plans to attend Everett Community College to pursue a nursing career.
Mary Horton, Everett High School, $2,000 for one year, plans to attend New York University to pursue writing.
Kelsey Beaman, Kamiak High School, $2,000 a year for four years, plans to attend Pacific Lutheran University to study elementary education.
Thao-Phuong Le, Everett High School, $4,000 a year for four years, plans to attend the University of Washington to major in chemical engineering.
Robert Nguon, Mariner High School, $4,000 a year for four years, plans to attend Seattle University to pursue engineering.
Viki Mirgon, Shorecrest, $4,000 a year for four years, plans to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology to teach high school physics.
Euneka Robinson-McCutchen, Everett Community College, $4,000 a year for four years, plans to attend the University of Washington to pursue civil engineering.
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