05/04/2026
✨✨✨ CONTRATULATIONS TO ALL THE STUDENTS ✨✨✨
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✨Last Tuesday, our Club members and 99 additional guests got to celebrate the success of 55 of Escondido’s most talented graduating seniors embarking on the next phase of their educational journeys, thanks in part to our scholarship program. Each student received between $500 and $1000 to put toward the expenses of higher education. The students were chosen following a rigorous application screening and interview process than began in January. Each participant school has a dedicated Rotary team that coordinates the program there and helps to select the students. This year’s teams included Ron Smith and Jay Grossman at San Pasqual High School, Ron Parker and Dick Daniels at Orange Glen High School, Travis Genessee and Vaughn North at Del Lago High School, Royce Moore and Paulette Donnellon at Escondido High School, and Mike Peters and Mark Baker at Charter High School. Rotary’s scholarship program was chaired by Rotarian Dara Czerwonka, for the third year.
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✨Also for a third year, Rotarian Vaughn North sponsored and funded a $1000 scholarship for a student of science. This year’s winner was Austin Spangler.
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✨This was also the first year that the Rotary Centennial Scholarship was awarded. As part of the Club’s 100 th year celebration, a dedicated fund was started to provide an annual scholarship of $5,000 to a student who excels academically, and demonstrates a significant commitment to the community. This year’s inaugural awardee was Hana Ibrahim. She earned a 4.3 grade point average, served as a Board member on the Escondido Unified High School district and has volunteered both in her school and in the larger Escondido Community. Her twin sister, her mother, and grandmother were all in attendance for her award.
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✨This year’s luncheon inspired many moments of emotional reflection for the audience members. Many were touched by the words of our Centennial Scholar Hana, last year’s returning Vaughn North Science Scholarship winner Pamela Arroyo, and Orange Glen counselor Alejandro Bernal. Their messages had a similar theme - give back to your community, and ROTARY MADE AN IMPACT!
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✨Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this year’s luncheon particularly good – all Committee members, Charito and Keith Richenbacher, Irv Erdos, Ione Rummery, Deb Stanley, and Veronica Cigarroa. Additional thanks to those behind the microphone: Stef Holden, Roxanne Goolsbee and Dara Czerwonka, and finally to those tasked with the pledge, partriotic song and invocation last week.
