08/27/2026
Interact Students Highlight Achievements at Rotary
The Rotary Club of Tehachapi recently celebrated the accomplishments of local students by hearing from students about their accomplishments during the 2025-2026 school year, including the Four-Way Test essay contest, scholarship awards, and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp. Interact students from Tehachapi High School and Valley Oaks Charter School were the guest speakers at Rotary, and their personal anecdotes and reflections are always a popular presentation with club members. Youth Services Director Judy Trujillo introduced the presentation, saying she was especially happy to share all that the students had accomplished during the 2025-26 school year. She then introduced Nena Thornburg, Interact Advisor for Valley Oaks Charter School, who led the presentation.
Thornburg began by introducing the winners of Rotary District 5240 Essay Contest. The assignment was to write about Rotary’s Four-Way Test and how they used it to navigate a situation in their lives. Serena Thornburg won first place for middle school, while McKay Pack was the top high school winner. Serena shared that her essay described how she used the Four-Way Test to help navigate the challenges of her mother’s battle with breast cancer. McKay wrote about what the Four-Way Test means to him and how each question guided him while completing a service project at his church camp. Both students were awarded $500 for their winning essays.
Rotary also recognized four graduating seniors who received scholarships: Ava Wiehn and Jakob Bakker from Valley Oaks Charter School, and Hailey Fitch and Ginevra Robbins from Tehachapi High School. The students each shared their future educational plans with the Club. Ava Wiehn will attend the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where she plans to study nutrition. Jakob Bakker received a full scholarship to Colby College in Maine, where he plans to pursue a double major in art and computer science. Hailey Fitch will attend Nazareth University to study psychology and dance. Ginevra Robbins will attend Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, majoring in architecture with a minor in engineering management. Ginevra expressed her appreciation for Rotary’s generosity and for the time, energy and financial support Rotarians invest in students. In total, eight graduating seniors were each awarded $2000 scholarships in June.
Nena also noted that Ava and Jakob had been helping with the Picket for Peace fence project at VOS. The students have been building a picket fence around the school’s Peace Pole, with fence slats that can be painted with inspirational messages and designs promoting peace. They planned to complete the project during the summer break.
The club also welcomed three students who attended Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)—Amelia Robbins, Ashlyn Middleton and Colin Bass—who shared their experiences at the four-day camp, held April 16–19, 2026, in Ojai.
For Amelia Robbins, the most impactful lesson was empathy. She explained that people can become wrapped up in their own thoughts and feelings and that effective leadership requires paying attention to how others think and feel. She learned that leadership is not about bossing people around, but about understanding and responding to the needs of others.
Ashlyn Middleton said the goal-setting course made the greatest impression on her. She appreciated learning how setting personal goals can inspire others, and she also enjoyed the public-speaking lessons. Although speaking in public is intimidating for her, she discovered that people are not necessarily judging the speaker, making the experience less stressful.
Colin Bass said RYLA exceeded his expectations “by a large margin,” and he could have talked for hours about everything he enjoyed. What stood out most was the atmosphere of the camp, where approximately 200 students gathered with dreams, aspirations and a desire to make a positive difference in their communities. He was particularly impressed by the counselors, who were consistently supportive and went out of their way to make the experience positive, as well as by the students’ passion for making a difference.
Colin also highlighted keynote speaker Jim Brogan, a former MBA player, whose message was to “Stand Up!” Colin explained that standing up means taking the opportunity to stop something bad from happening or to start something good.
Rotarian Scott Hammer then shared his experience as a first-year RYLA counselor. He described the first day, which began at 6:30 a.m. and continued until nearly midnight, with every minute filled with classes, team activities, keynote speakers, a rope course, and meals. Students also enjoyed events each evening, including a talent show and a dance. Hammer said he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Judy Trujillo thanked Rotary for the time, energy, financial support and encouragement it provides to students. She emphasized that young people are the future and said the Interact students work hard and truly serve from the heart.
President Suzie Andreas-Bervel encouraged the students to keep Rotary close to their hearts and, one day, consider returning to Rotary to help nurture future generations. She presented Nena Thornburg with a certificate of appreciation, and each student received a Rotary swag bag to thank them for their presentation.
Through scholarships, the Four-Way Test essay contest, Interact activities and RYLA, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi continues its commitment to developing young leaders, supporting education and encouraging students to live out the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self.”
