Four Ankeny seniors, two at each high school, were awarded Rotary scholarships during the school's Senior Spotlight Night. President Brian Tiernan was able to present the scholarships to the Ankeny Centennial High School winners on the evening of May 23rd. They were Charlotte Brink and Hyah Rouse. Charlotte will be attending the University of Iowa and majoring in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. Nyah will be attending Drake University and will be majoring in School Psychology.
Kristofer Orth presented the scholarships at Ankeny High School on May 17th. He was privileged to present his son Aiden Orth with one of the scholarships and Samantha Forester with the other. Aiden will be attending Stanford University and will be majoring in Mathematics. Samantha, a former RYLA participant will be attending Colorado State University and will be majoring in Biomedical Engineering.
Here are the contents of thank you letters from Samantha, Charlie, and Nyah.
Hello, my name is Samantha Forester. I would like to thank you for the opportunity you have provided by awarding me the Rotary Club of Ankeny Scholarship. In the fall, I plan to attend Colorado State University and major in Biomedical Engineering and Biological and Chemical Engineering. This scholarship will go a long way toward helping me pay the out-of-state tuition. This summer, before classes start, I have been given the opportunity to study abroad for 2 weeks in July and August. I am heading to Copenhagen, Denmark, where we will tour engineering facilities and learn about green energy.
I attended the RYLA leadership conference last summer where I learned problem solving skills and how to work as a team. I also made so many friends and have fond memories to look back on. My favorite of these memories happened during one of the team-building activities. We were divided into groups and played a game of telephone where we were communicating instructions on how to build with logos. I was the final person in the chain the one actually placing the pieces. Somehow this game perfectly combined teamwork with hilarious antics that had me rolling on the floor with laughter. I can confidently say that that was the moment during the conference which solidified this core memory in my heart.
I still keep in touch with all of the people I met at the conference, and I'm planning on attending their graduation parties. I cannot express how much this conference has changed my life and the way I work with others. I have been able to apply so much of what I learned at the conference and have noticed a profound impact on my school life. I know that the conference helped to prepare me for college and opened my eyes to so many new experiences and possibilities.
Thank you, Samantha Forrester
Thank you so much for choosing me as this year's recipient of your Dollars for Scholars Award. I am grateful, as this award will help me considerably to finance my college education next year.
In 2021 I was lucky enough to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and my experience there changed my life. I have become more outgoing and self-advocating because of my experience at RYLA in various ways. In addition, this experience gave me the courage to apply for Centennial's student school board representative position. The leadership skills I learned at RYLA helped me be the applicant they picked. Overall, what I learned at RYLA has completely changed the trajectory of my life, and I can't thank you enough for that experience and your generosity in awarding me this scholarship.
Along with servicing as the student school board representative, throughout my time in high school, I've participated in activities such as cross country, track and field, and show choir. I've done my best to commit myself wholly to these activities, and I've done this by leading my teams through example as well as joining leadership teams. Along with these activities, I've also helped to lead different clubs and organizations at Centennial, including starting a green club, serving in a leadership role in the National Honor Society, and helping to run a fundraising campaign for the LLS. I've also worked at Magee's Irish Pub and Eatery for the past three years, where I've learned different skills pertaining to teamwork and leadership.
In the fall, I plan on attending the university of Iowa and majoring in Biochemistry on the Pre-med track. I've always loved science and helping others which is why I want to pursue a career in the medical field. I hope that in college, I can continue to foster the leadership skills I learned at RYLA by participating in different student organizations and groups. Again, I cannot thank you enough for all the Rotary Club has done for me. You've helped me become who I am today and given me the resources to chase my dreams.
Thank you so much, Charlie Brink
I want to thank you. The Rotary Club of Ankeny and Ankeny Dollars for Scholars for awarding me this scholarship. I am excited to receive this award. Words cannot describe how grateful I am because I know every dollar counts when it comes to paying for my education.
I currently work at the Ankeny Community School's before and after-school program which is so awesome and fun. This job made me realize that I want to work with kids in the future and helped me decide to study psychology in college. Working this semester has been challenging due to my tennis season. While I made the varsity team, I also made the difficult decision to play JV so I could work at least a few hours a week, instead of having zero hours per week. It wasn't to just make money, I really missed working with the students. I'm wrapping up my AP classes which definitely gave me a run for my money, especially AP statistics and AP Psychology. I'm grateful to DMACC for providing the opportunity to take college classes because they will transfer to Drake and satisfy some of my general ed college credits. My favorite class was AP psych, although the professor was a bit boring, he introduced our class to his favorite show Monk, and I genuinely fell in love with the show.
I plan to attend Drake University in the fall to study psychology and education. I've already changed my college plans to a combined Bachelor and Master degree. A major in psychology with a Master of Counseling in education means I'm in school for five years instead of six. At graduation, I'll have a State of Iowa license to be a counselor for elementary-age kids. I hope to be in a school district like Ankeny to start my career and eventually be a therapist with my own practice. Thank you again for sponsoring the Rotary Club of Ankeny scholarship with Dollars For Scholars. I'll put it to good use.
Sincerely, Nyah Rouse
