Rotary Club awards three scholarships
Jun. 25—HENDERSON — The Rotary Club of Henderson has awarded scholarships to three local students. The scholarships were presented to the students at the club's meeting on June 21.
Receiving the scholarships were Semaj Jones, a graduating senior at Vance County Early College High School; Lillian Owens, Crossroads Christian School: and Nathan Care, Vance Charter High School.
After Greg Etheridge, president of the Henderson Rotary Club, introduced the scholarship winners, each recipient made a brief biographical statement and answered questions from club members about their interests and plans.
As part of the application process, students had been asked to write an essay on the topic: "How is the motto of the Rotary Club, 'Service above Self,' evident in your life, and how will you continue to uphold this motto through college and beyond?"
Care is an Eagle Scout, and his experience with the Boy Scouts was evident in his essay. He wrote that the Rotary values are similar to those expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, "which have been my compass." He will attend Appalachian State University this fall.
Owens related "Service above Self" to her Christian faith and activities such as mission trips, children's church and packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. But the benefits work in both directions, she wrote. "To give help, encouragement, and joy to others is also help, encouragement, and joy to me." She plans to continue her education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
For Jones, the Rotary motto is exemplified in the "Just You and Me" mentorship program sponsored by the Vance County school board, in which Jones and other high school students mentored fifth-grade students. "I have found that reaching out and helping others allows you to form new connections and relationships," he wrote. He plans to pursue higher education at UNC Wilmington.
At the end of the meeting, Etheridge presented each student a check for $2,500.
The three scholarship winners were selected from among 22 students who submitted applications. Each member of the club's scholarship committee reviewed the applications and essays independently after identifying information (i.e., names, schools and contact information) had been removed to keep the identities of the students anonymous during the selection process. The committee then met to reach a consensus on the top three candidates.
The essays were judged on clarity of the writing, evidence that the student had incorporated "Service above Self" in everyday life and planned to continue to follow the motto in the future.
Rotary International is a global organization with 1.4 million members in more than 35,000 clubs worldwide. The Henderson Rotary Club was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 40 active members.
