Each summer, the Rotary Clubs of Plant City sponsor students from Plant City High School to attend prestigious leadership programs both in and out of state, and this year’s participants have recently been selected and announced.
Rotary clubs in Florida may each send one student to Seminar For Tomorrow’s Leaders (S4TL) and one student to the World Affairs Youth Council. Because there are two Rotary Clubs in Plant City, two Plant City High School students will be able to attend each of these programs this summer.
Kendall Johnson and Shelby Baerwalde will participate in S4TL, a week-long program at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, where students will hear from guest speakers, including successful Rotarians, about leadership and community service.
“They call it a pep rally. It’s a leadership conference,” Jodi Stevens, a member of Plant City Noon Rotary Club who oversees the selection of Plant City students for these programs, said.
Madison Manley and Valeria Ruiz will participate in the World Affairs Youth Council, which is also a week long but takes place at Auburn University. Students become delegates for a country and debate issues from the viewpoints of those countries.
“That is a basic United Nations forum, and it examines real-world issues,” Stevens said.
Nine students submitted applications for S4TL and the World Affairs Youth Council, and they were interviewed by Stevens and other Rotarians. Stevens said it was not only their personalities and achievements that mattered, but also their potential for effective and meaningful leadership.
All of the girls who were chosen have achieved high honors in their academic and extra-curricular endeavors, but each has a unique perspective to take to these summer programs.
Johnson has a heart for service close to home. She often works with Bell Shoals Church of Christ in Brandon to distribute food and clothing to low-income families, and she tutors elementary-age children in Plant City. She is not sure what she’ll study in college, but math and science are some of her top academic interests.
“Leadership is a key component to success, and I am happy that I have been given the opportunity to learn more about leadership over the summer,” Johnson said.
Baerwalde is passionate about the arts and has earned awards for film, photography and literature. She has served Plant City through Relay for Life, Empty Bowls and various projects with the PCHS Civinettes.
Manley has a vision for giving back and serving those with immediate medical needs. She is actively involved in raising money for Relay for Life and ALS. She hopes to go to medical school and eventually work in developing nations, to serve children whose deformities inhibit them from functioning in their cultures.
“Leadership to me is humbling yourself before others and becoming an inspiration for young people all around the world to pursue their dreams and rise above their adversities,” Manley said.
Ruiz is a member of the Civinettes and Health Occupations Students of America, and has previously be involved with Key Club and Latin Quarters at PCHS. She is actively involved at St. Clement Catholic Church. She hopes to study criminology at University of South Florida and eventually earn a PhD.
After the students have returned from their summer programs, they will give presentations at Plant City Rotary Club meetings to discuss what they learned. Johnson and Manley will appear at Daybreak Rotary, and Baerwalde and Ruiz will appear at Noon Rotary.
Summed Up
During their interviews, the students were asked to choose one word to describe themselves. Their words were:
Shelby Baerwalde: Accepting
Kendall Johnson: Compromiser
Madison Manley: Humble
Valeria Ruiz: Vivacious
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
