ROTARY CLUB OF SAMMAMISH
Scholarship Program Guidelines
Spring 2010
(PLEASE NOTE: Application forms from 2009 or previous years are not valid for use this year.)
1. Sponsorship
The scholarship program is a community service activity of the Rotary Club of Sammamish. The Rotary Club of Sammamish expects to award a total of $15,000 in scholarship grants, to outstanding college-bound students in the Sammamish community. The number of individual grants and their amounts will be decided by the Rotary Club of Sammamish based on the applicant pool.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible, each scholarship grant applicant must:
a. Be a senior either at one of the three Sammamish high schools (Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, or Skyline) or in an accredited home-schooling program that is within the school district educational boundaries of Eastlake or Skyline High Schools;
b. Intend to attend any accredited university, college, community college, or vocational/technical institute beginning in the fall of 2010;
c. Establish achievement in school or community-related activities and services; and
d. Submit a complete 2010 Application prior to the application deadline which is in conformance with all requirements described in this overview and on the application form and including all materials listed below. Applicants must use the 2010 Application. Prior year or incomplete applications will not be considered.
e. Have an email address which they regularly monitor, as this will be the primary form of communication between the applicant and the Rotary Club of Sammamish.
Applicants related to anyone who is or has been a member of the Rotary Club of Sammamish at any time in the past 2 years are ineligible. The following relationships are cause for ineligibility for a scholarship grant, whether by birth, marriage, or civil proceeding: son, daughter, brother, sister, grandson, granddaughter, cousin, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt. In determining ineligibility by dint of relationship the determination of the Rotary Club of Sammamish shall be final and not subject to appeal.
3. Scholarship awards
Scholarships will be applied towards school tuition and fees only. Scholarships must be used during the 2010-2011 school year. Payment will be made directly to the educational institution upon the award recipient's submission of a statement from the institution to the Rotary Club of Sammamish Treasurer that includes the amount, remittance address, and student account number. The award recipient is solely responsible for providing this information to the Rotary Club of Sammamish; no reminders will be sent.
4. Criteria for Selection
In awarding scholarships the Rotary Club of Sammamish shall evaluate the candidates based on the following criteria:
a. Involvement and service in school and community service organizations.
b. Statement of how the candidate intends to fund his/her education.
c. Academic excellence.
d. Character, integrity, initiative and other personal qualities.
5. Application must include the following:
a. Completed application form.
b. Official high school transcript.
c. Letters of recommendation from two teachers from the student's current school. For home-schooled students, the Rotary Club of Sammamish strongly prefers recommendations from teachers who are not parents or otherwise related to the student.
d. One letter of recommendation from a responsible member of the Sammamish community who is neither a relative of the applicant nor a staff member of the applicant's school. Applicants are encouraged to select someone closely familiar with their community or charity work.
6. Process
a. Applicant submits completed application to his/her school counseling office, or by mail to the Rotary Club of Sammamish.
b. Applicants selected for interview are notified by email of interview place/time.
c. 25-minute interview of applicant by members of the Rotary Club of Sammamish.
d. Review and determination of awards and award amounts by the Rotary Club of Sammamish.
e. Notification to applicants and schools.
f. Payment of award amounts directly to educational institutions.
7. Interviews
Applicants will provide three days/times at which they pledge to be available for interview. The Rotary Club of Sammamish will make every effort to give all applicants their first or second choice but can make no guarantees. Applicants selected for interviews will be notified of the time and place of their interview. Applicants are expected to remain available for all choices provided on the application and, once notified of their specific interview day and time, are expected to be available then and subsequently to confirm their intention to appear at the specific interview date and time. Changes to the schedule will be possible only under extraordinary circumstances. Applicants unable to make their interview will be ineligible for an award.
8. Timeline/Checklist for Applicants
- February 16 - Applications available from school career office and on-line at www.sammamishrotary.org.
- March 25 - Applications due at the school career office or by mail to the Rotary Club of Sammamish, 3020 Issaquah Pine Lake Road SE, PMB 11, Sammamish, WA 98075. All applications must be received either at the school career office or at the above address by the end-of-day on March 25. Applicants mailing their applications should do so well enough in advance to ensure timely arrival. All late or incomplete applications will be rejected without review. There will be no exceptions; applicants are encouraged to be timely, carefully check their applications, and to follow up with those they have requested to write their letters of recommendation to ensure that they are aware of this deadline.
- April 2 - Email notification to applicants selected for interview of interview place/time.
- April 5 - Email confirmation of interview appointment from applicants to chris@leyerle.com.
- April 12 - First day of scheduled applicant interviews.
- April 25 - Last day of scheduled applicant interviews.
- May 2 - Notification of awards to applicants and schools.
- (Various) - Award ceremonies at each school.
- October 31 - Final day to submit statement for payment of award to Rotary Club of Sammamish Treasurer. Remember, this is solely the responsibility of the award recipient.
9. Miscellaneous
If selected for an award, applicants consent to the use of their name, picture, and selected information from their application (but excluding any contact information) in Rotary Club of Sammamish publicity. While the Rotary Club of Sammamish is committed to the youth of our community and to the offering of this program, it nonetheless reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend, augment, or cancel all or any part of this program at any time and for any reason. Questions may be addressed to Chris Leyerle at 425-890-1400 or via e-mail to chris@leyerle.com.
10. About the Rotary Club of Sammamish
The Rotary Club of Sammamish is part of Rotary International, which consists of more than 30,000 clubs in over 200 countries. There are over a million Rotarians, each working to strengthen their local community and contributing toward the goal of polio eradication. All Rotarians work locally to raise money for both local and international humanitarian causes. During the month of January 2010, for example, the Rotary Club of Sammamish alone has contributed over $2,000 to relief efforts in Haiti. Among other community service activities and contributions, the Rotary Club of Sammamish awards $15,000 or more in scholarships to high school seniors on the Sammamish Plateau each year. During the last twenty years, Rotarians around the world have raised nearly $1,000,000,000 to eradicate polio. The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster, among other things, high ethical standards in business and professions as well as the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. All Rotarians subscribe to a simple, universal code of conduct known as the Four-way Test: In the things that we say, think, and do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The Rotary Club of Sammamish is open to new members who share their commitment to service. Join us!
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Rotary Awards 11 Scholarships to Sammamish Seniors in 2009
The Rotary Club of Sammamish has awarded eleven scholarships to high school seniors who will be attending college this fall. This is the fifth year that the local club has awarded scholarships and the first year that students from all three Sammamish high schools, Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, and Skyline, were eligible to participate.
"The caliber of this year's applicant pool was the highest yet, and the committee had an extremely difficult time picking from among so many well-qualified candidates," noted Chris Leyerle, the Rotary member who chaired this year's selection process. Each candidate completed an application and was interviewed by a panel of three Rotarians to both clarify and expand on the written application, while also allowing all candidates an opportunity to communicate their unique interests, accomplishments and personalities
A total of $20,000 was awarded to the eleven well-deserving students. Funds for the scholarships come from the club's service projects including serving burgers at the Summer Nights concerts and from the Nightmare at Beaver Lake.
Congratulations to the following scholarship recipients:
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Marissa Ching plans to study business administration and accounting at USC, building on her strong record in Skyline's IB Business Program, where her teacher commended her "dedication and high level of aptitude...of the highest level." Marissa's many volunteer activities include service at the YMCA and Eastside Baby Corner, as well as representing Key Club at Issaquah Salmon Days.
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Abby Christensen will study Biomedical Engineering at the University of Washington's Honors Program, a course she charted when she attended the ASM Materials Science Camp and learned how much engineering can advance society and alleviate suffering. She has participated in the YMCA Youth and Government program for five years, and was elected as Lieutenant Governor. In addition, she has trained four Guide Dogs for the Blind. |
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Kristin Dorr plans to study education at Seattle University. She has contributed to her community through Athletes for Kids, Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and Youth Sports Camp Director, plus many school activities including ASB Vice-President at Eastlake High School, National, Spanish and Math Honor Societies, and captain of the Soccer and Tennis teams. She maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.
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Evan Fowler will attend John Hopkins University to study International Studies with an emphasis on Public Health. His many community involvements include internships with Ecolog International and Northwest Food Bank, participation in the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership program, and student body Vice-President at Eastside Catholic High School. He was also named the football team's Scholar Athlete. |
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Connie Kim hopes to pursue an advanced education in biology or chemistry, subjects in which she has shown consistent academic excellence. Connie has been the VP of Skyline's National Honor Society and is highly involved throughout the community. Says Connie: "Service work has transformed the world in which I live to a place of wonder...I learned that I do not just belong to myself, but that I am a part of the community."
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Jenna Kovalsky's interests are broad: anthropology, linguistics, communications, and international relations. Jenna's breadth of interests and talents are reflected not just in her academics, but also in her activities, which include 6 years as a trained youth soccer referee and membership on the Sammamish Youth Board. We are particularly impressed with her creation of Plateau Post Secret, an innovative web-based participatory community project, undertaken as a self-directed and independent project.
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Lummy Lin plans to attend the University of Washington to study nursing or business. Lummy shows both uncommon introspection and a willingness to challenge herself to achieve higher standards. Commenting on her four years on the Sammamish Youth Board, the City's coordinator noted how "her personal strength and enthusiasm exemplifies leadership and contributes greatly to the Board's success." |
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Martha Palomino plans to study International Business at Seattle University. Martha's impressive list of volunteer activities includes Key Club, Link Crew, French Club, playing in the Skyline Symphony, competing in track and field, and three years of youth basketball coaching. Her teachers describe her in unusually positive terms as "sparkling," "enthusiastic," "selfless," "inquisitive" and "lovely." |
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Katherine Purdy will attend either the University of Oregon or Whitman College this fall to study education, nursing, environmental science or religious studies; after graduation she hopes to join the Peace Corps to expand on her already strong ethic of service to others. Katie established the Skyline Environmental Club, serving as its initial president, and has been active in Girl Scouts and in her church. |
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Max Sussman has already demonstrated an aptitude for business promotion and plans to study business entrepreneurship. His efforts have benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Sammamish Youth Board and the American Cancer Society. He was nominated for the Teen Spirit SAMMI Award. One lesson in dedication came from training for ten years to earn his black belt in karate. Max is graduating from Eastlake High School and Community High School of Jewish Studies. |
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Kelsey Tempel intends to study mathematics at one of several prestigious schools, including Dartmouth, Gonzaga, Wellesley, or WSU. A black belt in karate since 7th grade, Kelsey demonstrates confidence, dedication, and a rare talent to apply lessons from one discipline in pursuit of her goals in another. She has volunteered through the National Honor Society, playing in several music groups, and as an assistant karate instructor. Academically, Kelsey has taken the hardest courses Skyline offers and yet has earned nothing but 'A's.
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Serving on Rotary's scholarship committee to interview the 13 "very highly qualified" applicants were Chris Leyele, chair; Mark Buick, Jay Colingham, Del Goehner, Jim Hamstreet, Janet Graeber, C.J. Kahler, Club president Lisa Kennedy, Dan Lewis, Bernie Lucking, Michele Petitti, Clint Scott. Jerry Vice, and Charlotte Weigel.
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Rotary Scholarship Application 2010
