Highlands Rotary awards 18 scholarships

The 18 students who received scholarships awared by Highlands Rotary Club

HIGHLANDS– The Rotary Club held their annual scholarship banquet last Monday night at the Community Center, and awarded 18 scholarships totalling $30,000 to students from Highlands, Crosby, and Chinquapin.
Scholarships are funded by Rotary activities during the year, primarily the Chili Feast and Raffle held in February.
The event was hosted by club president Michelle Lomazoff, and the keynote speaker was the director of Chinquapin School, Dr. Ray Griffin. Chairman of the Scholarship event was Dr. Larry White, assisted by ten Rotarians on the review committee.

In his remarks, Dr. Griffin congratulated the students on their accomplishments to date, and pointed out that “colleges and universities are the pathway to success in this information age.”
Griffin thanked the Rotary club for their scholarship efforts, noting that many students do not finish college due to financial problems. He reviewed the history of Chinquapin, noting that over 80% of his graduates do complete college. Chinquapin was founded in 1969 as a private school for low income urban students. He said that students succeed through hard work, and having a personal relationship with a great teacher.
Dr. White said that Rotary wants to invest in people in the community with these scholarships. There were 42 applicants, and 18 scholarships were awarded. This included 3 named scholarships at $2500, and 15 at $1500. He commented that all the applicants were outstanding, and it was a difficult job to choose only these 18.
The named scholarships were as follows:
J.E. Bird Scholarship, presented by Weston Cotten, to Cesar Larraga of Chinquapin;
Pat McPhee Scholarship, presented by Barbara McPhee to Sarah McKeon of Crosby High School;
Dr. W. L. “Doc” Herndon Scholarship, presented by his daughter Patricia Herndon Scott, to Jaime Blair of Goose Creek Memorial High School.
In addition, scholarships were presented to Goose Creek Memorial students Keely Bertsch, Crystal Chavez, Lauren Deluca, Alexander Galvan, Alexander Hunt, and Allison Little;
Also, from Crosby High School, to Rosemary Leal, Reuben Vega, and Darrian Ellison;
And to Marissa Garcia from Chinquapin, Dianna Muldrow who was home schooled;
And to the following students currently in Universities: Amy Brewer, Merlanie Muldrow, Casey Parson, and Katie Stephens.
In presenting the Bird scholarship, Weston Cotten noted that the recipient Cesar Larraga was class president, also president of the Rotary Interact Club, and an outstanding student.
In presenting the McPhee Scholarship, Barbara McPhee noted that her husband Pat had a “heart for giving” and thought it was appropriate to continue this with the award to Sarah McKeon.
Patricia Scott said that her father, Doc Herndon, had wanted the Rotary Club to be a “big little club” as it is now known city-wide, and he and Chester Stasney came up with the idea of an auto raffle, which has allowed the club to make generous contributions to the community over the years. She said that Doc Herndon lived for “Service Above Self” the club motto.
President Elect Denise Smith made a point of thanking the Banquet and Scholarship sponsors:
Platinum: Sterling-White Funeral Home & Cemetery, J & L Plastics;
Gold: Dane Listi, Texana Waste Services, Mega Sand;
Silver: State Farm Jeremy Rosenkranz, Robert Woodall Enterprises, Judge Mike Parrott & Constable Ken Jones, Tutor Security, CommunityBank of Texas, Griffin Truck & Equipment;
Bronze: Capital Bank, Hollico, Iris Inspection Services, Woodforest National Bank, Boaz Export Crating, United Community Credit Union, Southern Truck Sales, Safeway Signs.