Rotary Scholarships Are A Great Investment
By Jeff Agnew
As long as I have been in the club (since February, 1991, I think), we have given scholarships for college to graduating high school seniors. If I'm not mistaken, we give four scholarships at $2,500 each (each given in two installments over two years). No matter the amount, I think they are a great investment in promising students.
I graduated from Ramona High School in 1975. The school was a lot smaller then...there were 132 in my graduating class. Scholarships used to be given during the graduation ceremony, which was then held in the amphitheater that used to be in front of the old gym (so much past tense makes me feel old). During my graduation, I was awarded a $250.00 scholarship by the Ramona Kiwanis Club. It wasn't much, but it was enough to buy books for two semesters (today, that may not be enough to buy books for two classes). But the pride I felt in the recognition of my achievement, and faith in my future studies, was - as they say in the MasterCard commercial - priceless.
Our scholarships are for substantially more, even adjusted for inflation (my undergraduate degree is in Economics!). But, of course, given the high cost of a college education today - even at a public university - they are only one piece of the financial puzzle for our recipients. But I don't think we should ever lose sight of the intangible benefits these kids receive. I guarantee you that they will never forget that Rotary had the faith in them to give them a helping hand.
Update: It's actually five scholarships of $2,000.00 each. See my comment by clicking the "comments" link below.
As long as I have been in the club (since February, 1991, I think), we have given scholarships for college to graduating high school seniors. If I'm not mistaken, we give four scholarships at $2,500 each (each given in two installments over two years). No matter the amount, I think they are a great investment in promising students.
I graduated from Ramona High School in 1975. The school was a lot smaller then...there were 132 in my graduating class. Scholarships used to be given during the graduation ceremony, which was then held in the amphitheater that used to be in front of the old gym (so much past tense makes me feel old). During my graduation, I was awarded a $250.00 scholarship by the Ramona Kiwanis Club. It wasn't much, but it was enough to buy books for two semesters (today, that may not be enough to buy books for two classes). But the pride I felt in the recognition of my achievement, and faith in my future studies, was - as they say in the MasterCard commercial - priceless.
Our scholarships are for substantially more, even adjusted for inflation (my undergraduate degree is in Economics!). But, of course, given the high cost of a college education today - even at a public university - they are only one piece of the financial puzzle for our recipients. But I don't think we should ever lose sight of the intangible benefits these kids receive. I guarantee you that they will never forget that Rotary had the faith in them to give them a helping hand.
Update: It's actually five scholarships of $2,000.00 each. See my comment by clicking the "comments" link below.
posted by Jeff Agnew at 7:35 AM
2 comments
