Service through rotary

By Rob Tucker

2017 RCDM East High scholarship winner, Robbi Boggess

​I'm proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of Des Moines. In addition to all the other service my club contributes locally, nationally and internationally, every year we award six $8,000 scholarships, one each to a student chosen from each of Des Moines' six high schools. It's been my pleasure to serve on the selection committee for East High for five years. 

East's able school counselors narrow the pool of applicants down to four, and I never fail to be impressed with the calibre of the candidates, not just in academic achievement alone — often while holding down more than part-time jobs, and participating in athletics, music, drama, debate and other specific interest groups — but also their commitment to giving back to the community through volunteer work.

Every year it's an extremely difficult choice, and each year my two co-evaluators and I want to award scholarships to them all. This year was no exception. One applicant's goal is to be a geneticist, and even before reaching graduation, she has interned in a genetics lab at Iowa State University. Two aspire to work in healthcare, one with her eye on becoming a nurse, the other a pediatrician. The fourth dreams of a business career in filmmaking.

But choose we must, and this year our winner was Robbi Boggess. Robbi will be attending the University of Iowa in pre-med with a goal of specializing in pediatric medicine.

Congratulations Robbi — and Isabel, Karen and Anthony. You're all winners!!

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East High award ceremony, May 25, 2017

Co-evaluator, Kelly Sargent, presented on behalf of Mark Lyons and me