WORTHINGTON ROTARY CLUBS REVAMP SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS TO MAKE BIGGER IMPACT ON STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES  

Our club has collaborated with the Worthington AM Rotary Club to provide a full, two-year scholarship to a senior from Thomas Worthington or Worthington Kilbourne high schools to attend Columbus State Community College, starting this year.  

The first recipient is Omar Mares Orelas, a recent graduate of Thomas Worthington. The scholarship will cover his tuition, amounting to approximately $10,000 over the two years. (Learn more about Omar in next week’s newsletter.) 

The scholarship is the result of an initiative of the two clubs, starting 18 months ago, to examine their scholarship programs and determine if they were still meaningful to recipients.  

In the past each club awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 to a student at Thomas Worthington and Worthington Kilbourne high schools. The clubs announced their scholarships separately and set up selection committees that functioned independently.  

What the clubs learned during their study was that in some cases, the recipients were the same. They also recognized that with the rising cost of college tuition, the amount of their scholarships had a small impact on total college expenses and did little to alleviate the growing debt that many students face after graduation. 

Both programs took into consideration financial need, community service involvement and academic performance of their recipients; however, the scholarships did not appear to make a difference in whether the recipients were able to attend college. The study also found that all past recipients pursued a traditional, four-year college program.    
 
To make their programs more impactful and meaningful to recipients, the two clubs decided to work together, combining their financial resources and broadening their recipient base to include students pursuing vocational, technical and trade-school educations as well as a four-year college degree. The selection criteria were retained.     

Recipients may choose to pursue certificates or degrees offered at Columbus State, which include technical and vocational training, trades or courses of study that may be continued at a four-year college. They must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and are responsible for regular reporting of their progress over the two years. In addition, they must live in accordance with Rotary’s Four-Way Test with its emphasis on truth, justice, friendliness, and helpfulness, and with standards of community conduct. 

Immediate Past President Jim Miller, who chaired the joint-club task force, is pleased with the new partnership approach to awarding scholarships and the willingness of leaders of both clubs to take a hard look at their programs and determine if there was a better way to meet the needs of graduates planning to pursue higher education.  

“We wanted to make a bigger impact in the lives of local students and I think we’ve succeeded,” Jim said. “We’re not only providing financial support, but building a relationship with recipients and their families over two years.” 

Peter Macrae, a member of the task force and chair of the Worthington AM Rotary Club’s scholarship committee, agrees. “Our award of a full ride to Columbus State will have a far greater impact on the life of the recipient this year than in past years,” he said. “Recipients can graduate debt free with a university degree and then transfer to pursue a four-year degree.” 

Peter said the program attracted 11 applicants from the two high schools with strong career aspirations, and all of the finalists had donated their time and talents in service to the community and to their?schools.? 

“We had an outstanding group of students from which to select this year’s recipient,” Peter added. “Omar has especially admirable career goals.” 

Our club continues to provide a $1,000 scholarship to a senior at each of the Dublin high schools, Dublin-Coffman, Dublin-Scioto and Dublin Jerome. The Dublin AM Rotary Club has a similar program.