Chase Charlie, 17, of Crownpoint High School, is the team captain for the girl’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams. She is the Senior Class President and Art Club President. She is a National Honor Society member and is ranked first of her senior class. She holds a 4.14 grade point average. She is a part of the Big Brother’s and Big Sister’s Mentoring Program and student ambassador. Her hobbies include playing basketball and spending time with family and friends.
“I want to attend Arizona State University and major in Pre-Health. I want to become a dentist. I would like to come back and work for my community.”
Irina Gorshkova, 17, of Middle College High School, has received the Board of Excellence Award for 2013 and 2014. She is also on the Dean’s List for the year of 2015 through middle college. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school. She volunteers her time at Therapy Mobz Physical Therapy Clinic by working with children in a non-profit injury prevention program at Therapy Mobz. She enjoys playing the piano, singing and dancing. When she was nine years old, she fell in love with the sport of gymnastics. In 2013, she won state championship for the event called, “Floor” and she placed top 3 in various competitions. After seriously injuring herself at a gymnastics practice one year, she was no longer able to continue her passion in gymnastics. Her recovery with physical therapist, Jeremias Torres, inspired her to pursue a career in physical therapy.
“I am driven to attend UNM-Main Campus in the fall to complete my Bachelor’s of Science of Athletic Training and continue on to my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. I plan on working with a professional gymnastics team and opening my own physical therapy clinic.”
Buddy Joe, a senior at St. Michael Indian High School, is a member of the National Honor Society and he tries to encourage students to volunteer. This past year, he traveled to the Philippines for one month, for a mission trip and four months later, he traveled to Mongolia for three weeks. He said from these service opportunities he learned that the world is his “college” and the experiences and things that he learned while traveling were his “courses.” The people that he encountered and got to know were his “professors.”
“In the future, I plan to attend college in San Diego, California and I plan to major in Pre-med and I hope to become a general practitioner or doctor. I hope that my studies will enable me to just live, to love and to lead through service because the heart of services is giving, the giving of your time, your energy, your resources, and just giving in your own way.”
Rylee DeGroat, 16, of Thoreau High School, is a club member of Students Today Leaders Forever, DECA, Business Professionals of America, Evolvement, MESA, Native American Club, Peer Helpers, and the National Honor Society. She is team captain of the cross-country, track and field, and basketball team. She has obtained a 3.95 GPA and is ranked fourth out of 66 students of her class. She was awarded the Board Scholar of the Year and Principals Honor Roll her freshmen, sophomore, and junior year. She has volunteered with the Good Samaritan retirement home in Grants, NM, as a nurse’s aide and has been a member of the Red Cross organization. Her hobbies include running, appreciating the art of literature, writing, helping those who cannot help themselves, and playing basketball.
“My plan for the future is to attend New Mexico State University and pursue my BSN/RN. To get a degree in Biochemistry and apply for medical school.”
Tristan White, 18, of Navajo Pine High School, is a member of the National Honor Society, an Honor Roll Shakespearean Reader, Honor Senior in Reading and Research. He is a Navajo Nation ambassador and has performed volunteer work with the Catholic Church. His hobbies include drawing characters from cartoons and movies, carpentry, reading, running, biking, playing baseball, swimming and golfing.
“My plan after high school is to do carpentry work in Phoenix with my cousin and make some cash before I attend college in the Fall of 2016. In Tucson, Arizona, I plan to study geology and learn about our groundwater. We need more Navajo students to study our natural resources to help protect the Navajo people and sacred water.”
Matthew Begay, 17, of Rehoboth Christian High School, is a member of the National Honor Society and enjoys science-based classes. Because of his love for science, he would like to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. He has devoted a passion for linguistics and he has studied the Dine’, French, and Japanese languages. He also enjoys learning about astronomy, computers, and robots.
“In the future, I plan to go to one of two colleges, Calvin College in Michigan or New Mexico Tech, which is in Socorro, New Mexico. My major goal is to preserve Navajo and its culture on a website, so that anybody can access it and learn from it.”
Tommy Shirley, Jr., 17, of Tohatchi High School, is the secretary of the National Honor Society and Treasurer of the Student Council. He is also the treasurer of the MESA Club and received an honor for Academic Achievement on the NMSBA in 2010-2011. He was recently awarded Student of the Quarter Certificate from CCTE. His hobbies include learning about robots, drawing, playing video games, reading and creating.
“I hope to be able to continue going to school after I graduate to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Mechanical and Robotics Engineering.”
Arthur Frank, Jr., 18, of Wingate High School, is a member of the National Honor Society, a Wingate High School Band member, and a Navajo Nation Band member. His community service projects include reading and mentoring students at Lake Valley Elementary School, volunteering his time with NHS at St. Joseph’s homeless shelter in Gallup, New Mexico to serve the homeless. His hobbies include baking, playing the piano, and crafting.
“My plan is to go to college and earn a degree in Culinary Arts. My field of study is to be a professional baker as a pastry chef. My number one goal is to always be with family as much as possible.”
Cody Catone, 18, of Zuni High School, is a three-time State Champion and State Runner-up in cross country. He takes part in extra-curricular activities and he says that being a leader in cross country was a big responsibility for him. His hobbies include hunting, running, mountain biking, hiking, weaving, playing basketball, and wood hauling.
“My plan for the future is to attend New Mexico State University and major in Wildlife Science and become a Wildlife Game and Fish warden.”
The Gallup Rotary Club is a civic community organization that started a scholarship program in the early 1950’s that awards qualified high school recipients that are at the top of their class as “Senior of the Month’ or “Senior of the Year.” Qualified students are selected by the faculty and staff of the school. Each high school has a different process of selecting a qualified student and awards can range from approximately $500 to the highest amount of a scholarship of $5,000. It is based off of a merit scholar and not a need basis.
Each student goes through a scoring process for the areas in which they have excelled in such as academics, athletics, community service, and leadership skills. Also, they are required to submit an oral presentation and written paper that is graded by judges. Total points are scored and based on the overall score that is how a scholarship is awarded. The top scholarship is $5,000.
Abbot J. (Jay) McCollum, Jr., chairperson for the Gallup Rotary Club’s Senior of the Month and Senior of the Year Committee, said people would be surprised at how many scholarships that the Rotary Club gives out each year that donate through the Rotary Foundation. He says one of their goals is to set up enough money to get their quantity built up to where they can fund a full ride scholarship.
“I’m speaking at the students that are here, other seniors of the month, and finally those who will be selected seniors of the year, are the best of the best,” he said. “They have the best grade point average; they have letters earned in athletic and academic opportunities. They are involved in things outside the school. They are student president’s, they are presidents of National Honor Society. You are competing against the best of the best.”
Visit: www.galluprotaryclub.org
