Receiving scholarships from the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River are (from left) Matthew Esdon, Lindsay Farrall, Maggie McGann, Kate Seeley, and Bert Wirtz.
The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River has awarded college scholarships to five area graduating seniors.
Recipients include Matthew Esdon of Rocky River High School, Maggie McGann of Lakewood High School, Bert Wirtz, Jr. of St. Ignatius High School, and Lindsay Farrall and Kate Seeley of Magnificat High School. Each will receive $3,000 Donald W. Strang, Jr. Scholarship awards from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation. This $15,000 scholarship program is part of nearly $70,000 that the Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Club donates to community programs each year.
In addition to demonstrating academic achievement and potential, these five Rotary scholarship winners were chosen for their character, as well as extracurricular and community involvement.
Matthew Esdon is a young man with a strong sense of direction and purpose, as evidenced by his attainment of the Order of the Arrow in the Boy Scouts of America. He was a varsity swimmer, recognized for his leadership with the Triple Impact Competitor Award. Matthew was a member of symphonic and marching bands. His peers look to him for inspiration. Matthew will attend Miami University to study business.
Lindsay Farrall’s extracurricular activities at Magnificat included the rowing team and working behind-the-scenes on stage crew for her school’s outstanding theatrical productions. She has been a competitive ice skater, and teaches skating to young children to help them learn skills for the ice and skills for life. Before her senior year she took full advantage of a three-week internship to explore the field of marketing, and discovered that she was fascinated by the field, which she will study at Michigan State University.
Maggie McGann’s extracurricular activities included Lakewood High School’s Help to Others service club, especially its program offering training for younger students on how to be safe when they have to be “Home Alone” for a while until their parents get home from work. Maggie was also involved in track and field and volleyball. One of her teachers commended Maggie for her “genuine and deep capacity for empathy.” Maggie is excited to go to Xavier University prepare for a career as a teacher.
Kate Seeley was a member of Magnificat High School’s Student Council, Ambassador’s Club, and Outreach Service Club. During her junior year she learned about the issue of food insecurity, volunteering at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to learn more, then organized a food drive at her school to benefit the Lakewood Food Pantry. On top of her studies and extracurricular involvements, Kate has carried a full schedule of after-school work in area businesses. At John Carroll University she plans to study political science to learn how institutions can work to help the most marginalized groups of society.
Bert Wirtz, Jr. is a triathlete – the special kind of competitor who swims a mile, then rides a bike for 25 miles, then runs a six-mile foot race. He was a varsity swimmer for all four years at St. Ignatius, where he also participated in the Model United Nations Club and the St. Ignatius Pallbearers Ministry, providing dignity and comfort at funerals where there may few if any mourners present. Bert also volunteers with the school’s ministry providing food and essentials to Cleveland’s homeless population. Bert will apply his endurance to his studies in mechanical engineering at Marquette University.