Youth Scholarship Programs, Club Level

Youth Scholarship Program
with the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove in California

• Since 2013 Rotary club member, Dave Stirling, has been chairing this committee in the selection of scholarships recipients for our Youth Scholarship Program.  2020 and 2021 were extra challenging and required modification of the process as well as the reality of no personal contact, no meetings, no zoom, and no class assigned project. Dave has devoted hours of his time year after year reading each and every applicant essay, interviewing, and being a grand mentor for our students.  On June 30, 2022, Dave Stirling follows through with his retirement as the Scholarship Committee Chair and officially passes the duties to his successor, Laura Uslan.  As previously mentioned, Laura is the perfect successor with her education background and past principle of Delta High School.  Amazingly enough, Laura has also accepted the position of our Club Co-President with her husband, Tom Uslan.  Our community is so proud and 100% fortunate to have Laura at the Scholarship helm.  Thank you Laura.
• Many of these scholarships are long existing family Memorial Scholarships from multiple families in Walnut Grove.  The Rotary Club of Walnut Grove is honored to present these Memorial Scholarships with pride and dignity in the name of a lost family member.  Each year Dave Stirling and the committee spend countless hours determining if applicants meet the criteria for one of the scholarships.  No detail go unturned. 
• The 2020 year of the covid-19 pandemic, found Dave working extra hard to make sure the scholarship applications arrived.  In the end, He determined 9 applicants are deserving and worthy of receiving one of our scholarships.
• By 2021 and a year of working on scholarships in this new world, Dave and the committee presented 13 deserving scholarships.
• The 2022 Senior class was awarded an incredible 15 scholarships.  The committee, lead by Dave Stirling and the Rotary Board unanimously agreed and added the two additional scholarships for the Salutatorians.  Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients who work very hard and earned their recognition.  It has also been announced Dave has retired from the Rotary committee chair and passed his duties to his successor, Laura Uslan.  The Rotary Club of Walnut Grove extends its deepest gratitude to Dave for all his years of hard work and accomplishments mentoring our students.  We too, welcome Laura and know she is the perfect successor for the Scholarship program.
• Resulting from so many outstanding students in 2023, Rotary will be awarding 22 scholarships.  It took Laura and the Committee a full day on campus, followed by countless hours of reviewing the interview results.