Rotary Students of the Month

Each year, the Aberdeen Rotary Club honors Aberdeen High School seniors through its Student of the Month recognition and scholarship program. One senior is recognized each month between October and May. Two of these eight students are then selected in June for either the $1,000 “Blue” or $2,000 “Gold” scholarship to the school of their choice.

These are the winners for the first quarter of 2019:

Tamara Corona, daughter of Carrie Gonzales and Jorge Corona, was selected as January’s Student of the Month. She has served as her class president for four years and as a Foodball chair.

Awards have followed Tamara throughout her high school athletic career, most recently Evergreen 2A First Team All-League Awards. Playing varsity volleyball for three of the past four seasons, she has been captain for two seasons in both varsity volleyball as well as varsity fast-pitch at AHS.

Tamara has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and ranks 32nd in her class. Her post-high school plans are to attend a four-year university to major in business management with a minor in education. She also hopes to continue in the sport of volleyball. She is leaning toward accepting a scholarship to Richmond University, the American International University in London.

Kai Kawashima was Student of the Month for February. He participates in Mathletes and is president of Japanese Club, a group of students who explore Japanese culture. Kai is a musician with the marching band, dive captain for the school swim/dive team, and a member of the tennis and track teams.

Kai is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and has donated many hours toward the nonprofit organization’s fundraising events and helping with its construction projects.

After high school, he plans to attend DigiPen Institute of Technology for a Bachelor of Science in computer science. From there, he hopes to work for a major technology company.

Natalie Hurd, daughter of Lisa and Donny Hurd, is Student of the Month for March. For the past two years, she has served as editor-in-chief of the school yearbook. Additionally, she teaches art classes to elementary students, is involved in Foodball, and volunteers with preschoolers and senior citizens.

In the classroom, Natalie is maintaining a 3.98 grade-point average and is ranked 11th in her class. She received a Scholar Musician award and earned a varsity letter in choir. She also represents her classmates on the Aberdeen School Board.

Upon graduation, Natalie plans to attend Grays Harbor College for two years before finishing her degree at a larger college or university. She plans to study early childhood development and business.