Rotary Club of Tehachapi awards $8,000 in scholarships

Provided.

Rotary President Paul Kaminski, Olivia Loyd, Davery Pogon-Cord and Priscilla Sturz.

The Rotary Club of Tehachapi awarded $2,000 scholarships to four deserving high school seniors during ceremonies held at the conclusion of the school year. Scholarships were awarded to three seniors from Tehachapi High School and one student from Valley Oaks Charter School. Rotary President Paul Kaminski presented awards to Olivia Loyd, Davery Pogon-Cord and Priscilla Sturz at the scholarship awards night at Tehachapi High School. For Valley Oaks Charter School, Elliott Gonzales, Interact Club President, was awarded the $2,000 scholarship.

To qualify for the scholarship, the applicants had to provide a letter of application and write an essay about the importance of community service, to support Rotary's goal of "Service Above Self." In addition, the students needed to demonstrate solid academic performance, cite their plans for continuing their education and discuss future career goals. Additional credit was given for involvement in their school Interact Club, other school activities and community service. The Rotary Club was pleased to award these scholarships to four very deserving students.

The Rotary Club of Tehachapi has provided scholarships to high school seniors for many years. Due to the success of fundraising efforts this year, Rotary was able to double the amount of the scholarships, from $1,000 to $2,000 each. The club felt that it was important to increase the scholarships due to the rising costs associated with college or technical schooling. The Rotary Club of Tehachapi appreciates the strong support from the community at all their fundraising events throughout the year, including the Apple Drop during the annual Apple Festival, the Rotary Wine Pairing Dinner, the Senior Tea and other events that make these scholarships possible.

The Tehachapi Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at Kelcy's Restaurant. Rotary is committed to "Service Above Self," and devotes time and resources to projects in the local community, scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, and supporting global efforts for polio eradication. For more information about the Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Rotary/ClubofTehachapi/.