2022 Scholarship Recipients

Grants and Scholarships
Congratulations to the 2022 Rotary Scholarship Recipients 
 
 
Pictured: Kevin Whitehead, Andrew Kovacs, Sophia Wang
 
Andrew Kovacs
Andrew is one of 4 children, a  triplet. He is active in band and plans to pursue his education at the University of Akron with the hopes of becoming an optometrist. He was inspired from his first eye appointment and the amazing change when he got glasses His older sister is in college and his other two siblings will be going to college- all different school so no volume discount for his parents. I applaud his parents, at the interview Andrew shared he had just signed the Kovacs contract detailing his parent’s support level for college.  He is active in band, Wind symphony, and the drum line and a volunteer with United Sounds.
 
When asked what he learned about Leadership he said, It is okay if things don’t go well and Covid made it really hard to motivate others.
He is active with his church Youth group, one of the Pastor noting that Andrew has spoken and led with a wisdom beyond his years. He leads with initiative and creativity as he works out of  a great passion for all he sets his hands to do. He will continue to make the world a better place for those he encounters.
The book presented to Andrew was:
Award-winning author and journalist explores the meaning of identity and place, hamburgers, hard work, and basketball in this collection of wry, irreverent essays reflecting on the many aspects of Midwestern culture and life from an insider’s perspective.
 
 
Alexis Thornton 
Alexis was not able to be with us today, but she wants to pursue her degree in education  at the University of Dayton. Alexis has the support of her grandmother at this point in her life. She has at times worked several jobs.
 
The book presented to Alexis was:
The Olympic runner, actress, filmmaker and writer shares what she has learned about confidence, self-reliance, mental health, embracing pain, and achieving your dreams.
 
 
Maddie Thomas
Maddie was not able to be here today but she will get her degree from Bryn Mawr. She loves the size of the school. She wants to work in education. She has a passion for English and literature.She feels called to serve her community and empower students through learning. She is fascinated by the extent to which schools act as gatekeepers to and models of, the majority of American culture. She was the head captain of the Mock Trial and Science Olympiad team and co-founder of the journalism club. She excelled in German with gold level achievement on the national exam. Maddie’s father is a physician and her mom is with her today and is currently enrolled in graduate school. Her brother attends Emory. She volunteers with hospice and told us she has learned a lot from the patients, listening to their life stories she came to realize that they value relationships over the career or high school achievements.
Rotary- is about the connections and rooting oneself in community and this is what she would like to teach her students.
 
The book presented to Maddie was:
The novel is a multi-generational family saga set between the 1940s to the 1990s and centers on identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes. The two light-skinned black sisters were raised in the fictional town of Mallard, Louisiana, and witnessed the lynching of their father in the 1940s. In 1954, at the age of 16, the twins run away to New Orleans. However, Stella disappears shortly thereafter.
 
Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, USA Today, GQ, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, and Bustle
 
 
Sophia Wang
Sophia will pursue her degree at UCLA in public affairs – she likes that the program is a mix of neuroscience and philosophy. She hopes to be an advocate for change and impact world hunger. In high school she has learned that everyone is willing to help and you can’t do everything- it works well to build a team. She is joined today by her father. Both of her parents are professors. She was President of the Speech and Debate team, and co president of the Key Club. She founded a calligraphy club, plays piano and swims.
She was named the Centerville-Washington Park District Youth Volunteer and worked for Desiree Tims For Congress campaign one summer. She was state winner of a National Music Week Essay and several art and writing awards and attorney awards at competitions.
Her Key Club advisor noted: she exemplifies all that a service leader needs to bring a better world to the community around her. She truly enjoys people and has a heart to support the needs of the community.
 
The book presented to Sophia was:
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.  A #1 New York Times Bestseller
 
 
Kevin Whitehead:
Ranked first in his class at Centerville, Kevin is a volleyball and piano player. Will work towards a degree in Economics at Princeton. He liked Princeton because of the schools commitment to service and humanity. His twin sisters are both in college. He loves math. He volunteered as a legislative assistant in Rep. Tom Young’s office and was one of 50 students in Ohio to be an Ohio Attorney General Teen Ambassador Board, participated in Junior Leadership Dayton, served on Student Council and a class officer and volunteers with Hannah’s and the House of Bread.
 
When asked what he knows about rotary he mentioned we are people that give back to the community and give someone a hand when we can and represent leaders in the community.
 
The book presented to Kevin was:
In this informal and engaging history, Eli Maor portrays the curious characters and the elegant mathematics that lie behind the number. This biography brings out the central importance of e to mathematics and illuminates a golden era in the age of science
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