Rotary Club honors 10 Fox Chapel Area seniors for academics, good citizenship

Ten Fox Chapel Area seniors have been honored by the Rotary for outstanding achievement and embodiment of good citizenship and service to others.

Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area gave the students a monetary award and a certificate from youth committee Chair Bill McConnel during a mid-May luncheon at the Indiana Township municipal building.

The students were nominated by various academic departments at the high school. They had the chance to address Rotarians during the luncheon about future plans. The honorees are:

Ross Carney, nominated by the Health and Physical Education Department, will attend the Community College of Allegheny County in the fall to study firefighting and homeland security. Carney has volunteered as a school student trainer and as an EMT.

Elijah Conklin, nominated by the Social Studies Department, will study meteorology at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Conklin is a leader in the History Club, participating in several national history competitions, and as sophomore qualified for the U.S. team that participated in the International Geography Olympiad.

Arjun Golla, nominated by the English Department, earned the top grade in the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition. He will study chemical engineering at Penn State’s Schreyer’s Honors College.

Nicholas Harris, nominated by the Business Department, will be an accounting major at the University of Pittsburgh. Nick is a recipient of the Business Seal of Excellence with Distinction Award.

Paul Kullmann, nominated by the Science Department, has excelled in science courses. He will attend the University of Pittsburgh to study bioengineering.

Nathania Lingam, nominated by the Mathematics Department, will study computational biology at Carnegie Mellon University. She can apply mathematical thinking to solve problems in other disciplines, according to her teachers.

Stella Ruane, this year’s winner of the Rotary Club’s Service Above Self scholarship, traveled with volunteers to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico last year to work as a carpenter rebuilding a house flattened by the storm. Ruane will attend Penn State on a pre-law track.

Mia Fraga Ruiz, nominated by the Art Department, will study at Moore College of Art and Design. She was a three-year member of the National Art Honor Society and taught art to younger students within the community.

Sam (Salvatore) Smith, nominated by the World and Classical Languages Department, excelled as a musician, artist, athlete and student. Smith will attend Kent State University.

Lydia Weidner, who was an integral part of the Music Department for all four years of high school, will attend Penn State University to study food science, with a product development track.