In addition to demonstrating academic achievement and potential, these four Rotary scholarship winners were chosen for their extracurricular and community involvement.

Christin Donahoe was a scholar/athlete at Lakewood High School, where she earned a 4.3 GPA and National Honor Society recognition while playing varsity soccer and basketball. Her community involvement ranged from presenting programs for the “Up Side of Down [Syndrome] of Northeast Ohio” to serving as queen at Lakewood’s popular “Light Up Lakewood” holiday event.

Her involvement at St. Mark’s Church included portraying the role of Veronica in the church’s “Living Stations of the Cross.” “Playing that role,” she said, “was symbolic of my life – every day I want to be an ‘upstander,’ living in the right way.” Christin will attend Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, where her double-major in Spanish and exercise science will launch her toward her goal of being a doctor of physical therapy.

Nastia Kurylyuk was mostly “behind the scenes,” bringing her artistic talents to bear for Lakewood High School’s Barnstormers Drama Club throughout her high school years, even writing and directing her own play at one point. She also played on the school’s tennis team and participated in the H2O, Help to Others, volunteer club.

She is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. Her sketches and paintings have been displayed in the Ninth Congressional District Invitational Art Exhibition and at the Beck Center for the Arts. Her plan to study biomedical art at the Cleveland Institute of Art melds her interests in the sciences and graphic design.

John McDermott has been a self-starter for his whole life, setting lofty goals and then working hard to achieve them. “I have had so many teachers who have inspired me to make the most of the opportunities I face,” he said.

Since he was old enough, John has held employment throughout the year while also earning recognition for academic excellence and being active in Lakewood High School’s Key Club, H2O, and the German Language Club. John is headed to Kent State University where he will pursue a degree in either education or business.

Hannah Sawyer was a highly-decorated student at Rocky River High School. That “decoration” might have been on her marching band uniform, varsity tennis uniform, or in the form of academic medals and recognitions for her 4.4 GPA including National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, or the AP Scholar Award. Hannah was a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Last year Hannah persevered to raise $6,000 in order to participate in the Global Student Leaders Summit in Davos, Switzerland. Her travels clarified her desire to pursue degrees in French, Spanish and international relations at Wheaton College in Illinois.