Rotary Club of Saint Joseph Gives Scholarships to Students from Each of the 5 St. Joseph High Schools

ST. JOSEPH, Mo.— The Rotary Club of St. Joseph presented scholarships to high school seniors on Wednesday afternoon at the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art.

The club presents the annual scholarships worth $1,000 to five students, one from each high school.

Rotarian Don Gladhart told the audience filled with Rotarians, the students, their families a counselors that this recognition is not only for the students, but also the parents who raised them and the counselors who have helped to guide them along the way.

“These students here today all have strong academic records,” Gladhart said. “But they also have great participation in leadership in many diverse activities.”

Gladhart said they were not chosen based on GPA alone, but because of they’ve shown leadership and initiative with seriousness and purpose.

Alyssa Martinez, of Benton High School, said she is planning to attend the University of Kansas to study electrical engineering and hopes to work in robotics in order to work in the biomedical engineering to help kids in need.

Lisette Stevens, of Central High School, is planning to attend the University of Rochester and seeking a degree in biomedical engineering. She said that right now her primary goal is getting her degree and finding a job will come later.

Adrian Parmenter, of Lafayette High School, intends to double major in political science and economics at the University of Nebraska — Lincoln. He has further hopes of attending a prestigious school to study law and hopefully select a corporate law focus.

Conner Wagers, of St. Joseph Christian High School, said he plans to study civil engineering at State Technical College of Missouri, in hopes of becoming an estimator for a construction crew, or something else related to construction.

Kaitlyn Sego, of LeBlond High School, was unable to attend Wednesday’s event due to a schedule conflict. She plans to attend the University of Missouri and seek a degree in health sciences in the pre-professional track.

New Charter

During the meeting, Rotary District Gov. Jodi Sundaram presented the club with a new charter recognizing the merging of two of the three St. Joseph clubs, the Rotary Club of St. Joseph — 32 and the Rotary Club of St. Joseph — East Side.

“Your clubs unite decades of shared commitment to service fellowship and community impact into a single, more powerful organization,” she said. “Together, you bring combined membership resources and institutional knowledge that will strengthen your ability to serve the people, of St. Joseph in meaningful and lasting ways.”

She said the merger reflects the very best of the Rotary spirit, “setting aside individual traditions in pursuit of a greater common good for the St. Joseph community.”

Sundaram noted that the club charter date will continue to use the St. Joseph — 32 club, which was originally founded Feb. 1, 1912, and was the 32 club to be chartered in the world. As of early 2026, there are more than 45,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide.

-Skye Pournazari, News Press Now