Two high school graduates were acknowledged at a recent luncheon meeting with scholarships from the Rotary Club of San Marino. Richelle Chow of Southwestern Academy, and Ethan Wang from San Marino High School, are the recipients of Barth Rotary Scholarships, and have received $2,500 to help support their further education.
Chow was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, moving to California to attend high school. As a junior at Southwestern Academy, she volunteered as a coach in the nonprofit Girls on the Run Los Angeles, where she was able to help empower young girls as well as finding her passion for working with children. She also participated in the Rotary 4-Way Test speech contest, where her powerful presentation discussed how gender stereotypes were a significant influence in her upbringing.
Chow became president of the Interact Club in her senior year. She will attend George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to major in psychology with hopes of focusing on child psychology. After graduation, Chow hopes to return to Indonesia to help change the stigma of undergoing counseling that exists there.
Ethan Wang is headed to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the fall, where he will major in public health. Wang received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship that is awarded to incoming and current freshmen to fund a research project. Wang’s research will help facilitate early detection of cognitive decline and dysfunction using mobile technology in nearby Baltimore neighborhoods.
Over quarantine, Wang worked alongside his sister, Serena Wang, and a group of students in developing an application called CovidSMS, a texting platform that provides local COVID-19 information and updates. The platform was adopted for use by the city of San Marino. To access the program, text your ZIP code to (888) 414-5539.
While at SMHS, Wang was a four-year member of the Interact Club, which ignited his drive to help the community.
Barth Rotary Scholarships are presented each year to a female and male student who have recently graduated from San Marino High School and Southwestern Academy. Now in its second year, the Barth Rotary Scholarship Endowment was created in recognition of Andy Barth’s long history of support for Rotary Charities.
Gilda Moshir, a longtime member and former president of the Rotary Club of San Marino, chaired the committee which researched and presented the scholarships.
