By Khalida Sarwari
The Saratoga Rotary Club announced four local high school students are the lucky recipients of $2,500 scholarships.
The winners are Saratoga High students Arhem Barkatullah and Joshua Pi and Prospect students Heather Lindsay and Sergio Cordero. All four are seniors.
“When you hear them, you feel that the world is going to be all right and a better place because of who they are,” said Shinku Sharma, one of three Rotarians who served on the panel of judges. “The future is bright.”
Barkatullah, 18, said she’d use the funds toward school at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, where she plans to study biomedical sciences.
The Saratoga resident’s years of experience as a volunteeer helped her snag the scholarship, she said. Barkatullah is a three-year member of the Interact Club, a Rotary-sponsored club on campus that undertakes community service-oriented projects. She has also volunteered at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System for the past two years and served on the Saratoga Library’s teen advisory board for seven years.
Joshua, 17, of Saratoga, is involved in his school’s music department and in student government. He is also an Interact member, having been a part of the club since his freshman year. Aside from holding fundraisers and organizing events this year, the club took on a global project in Kenya and another one here in the Bay Area where it helped impoverished children, said Joshua.
In the fall, he’ll be starting school at the University of Puget Sound in Washington.
Heather Lindsay, 18, of San Jose, is all about giving back to her community. She regularly volunteers through her church, plays field hockey and runs track for Prospect and is president of the French Club.
“If you have some talent, you’re not supposed to keep it to yourself. You have to contribute to society and the easiest way to do that is through community service,” she said. “I think it’s necessary to be well-rounded and get the most out of life.”
Lindsay plans to study biology at UCLA this fall.
Rotary received about 20 applications, according to Sharma. The four applicants exemplify Rotary’s motto of “service above self,” she said.
“We are always looking for candidates who exemplify that and make a difference for others and do things not necessarily for recognition but to get things done,” she said. “All the applicants, when you listen to them, they’re all wonderful, great kids. It is challenging to select a few.”
The Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation and the Thompson family are financing the awards.
Link: Saratoga Rotary Club presents scholarships to Prospect, Saratoga High seniors
