Local students earn Rotary scholarships

Those in attendance at the Rotary scholarship ceremony were: (from left) Rotarian Alexis Burns; Rotary scholarship winners: Phylicia Hockman, Wyatt Baker and Avari Schwabenbauer along with Rotarian Matt Lerch.
From staff reports

Three Clarion County students were recently selected for four Clarion Rotary Scholarships.

“These three scholars have achieved not only academic brilliance, but also embraced Rotary International’s spirit of service above self,” said Matt Lerch, chair of a scholarship committee that included Rick Forbes, Jon Williams, Phil Frese, and Alexis Burns.

“With so many qualified applicants in a field of high achieving Clarion County students, the selection process was difficult and arduous. Placing heavy emphasis on volunteerism, the four selected students stood out amongst their peers due to not only their academic excellence, but also their altruistic yearning to help others as is the spirit of Rotary International.”

The Amy Davis Scholarship Award is annually awarded to two Clarion County High School seniors for $1,000 each.

This year Clarion Rotary had 10 applicants. The applicants qualified by placing in the top 20 percent of their class, having maintained a Quality Point Average of 3.0 or higher from ninth- through 12th-grade.

These applicants also provided evidence of active service to their school and community through participation in both extracurricular school activities and organizations as well as civic and community activities and organizations.

The Amy Davis Scholarship winners were Phylicia Hockman of Clarion Area High School and Wyatt Baker of Clarion-Limestone High School.

Hockman had a 4.14 QPA and was salutatorian at Clarion Area High School. She volunteered for the Backpack program for two years is a member of the National Honor Society.

She was a State 800 runner for two years, team captain, and an integral part of Clarion’s first girls’ team to attend states. She plans to attend Shippensburg University as a pre-med major with an interest in pediatrics.

Baker had 4.14 QPA and graduated fifth in his class. He volunteered for Friendship bags, YMCA volunteer, and mathematics tutor. He was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council Representative, and plans to attend Clarion University and major in human resources management.

Avari Schwabenbauer of North Clarion was selected for two Rotary scholarships, the Clarion University Scholarship and the Trueman Mills RYLA scholarship.

Schwabenbauer had a 3.51 QPA, was 11th in her class, and was a member of Junior Historians, Youth Council, Farmington Township Fire Department, tutor, and National Honor Society.

She also completed dual enrollment at CUP, California, and University of Pittsburgh Bradford. She is a Sage College Scholarship recipient. She was involved with track and field, volleyball, and Academic Sports League and Academic Decathlon. She plans to attend Clarion University.

Clarion University Scholarship is awarded to one Clarion County High School senior who attends Clarion University in the fall.

The criteria for the scholarship match the Amy Davis Scholarship criteria. The $1,000 scholarship will be applied to her fall tuition through the Clarion University Foundation.

The $1,000 Trueman Mills RYLA Scholarship is awarded to a Clarion County senior who attended RYLA the previous summer.

Five applicants competed for this award this year. The criteria for this award also match the Amy Davis criteria as well, except the QPA must be 3.5 or higher instead of 3.0 or higher. An essay on their experience at RYLA was also included.