Every one of them talked about the same goal: giving back.
Many are Hispanic. Some immigrants. Others, daughters of first-generation immigrants. Some will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Their parents work hard—often in a language that is not their own—to build a life here.
And yet, these young women aren’t focused on what they can get.
They’re focused on what they can give. Each of them were focusing their education on ways to give back in their community.
And it made me wonder… where does that come from?
Then I thought about this same week, and the more than 30 Rotarians who walked into our Middle School—not to give a speech, not to be recognized—but to sit beside 7th graders and help them wrestle with what it means to live ethically.
Using Rotary’s 4-Way Test as a guide, these students learned to ask:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
No fanfare. No headlines. Just Rotarians, showing up. Planting seeds.
Encouraging young people to think. To question. To care.
This is what Rotary does.
We invest in young people long before the world knows their names. We believe in them before they fully believe in themselves.
And years later, they become the young men and women we met this week—confident, capable, and determined to give back.
This is how Rotary changes the future.
Not all at once.
But one student… one mentor… one act of belief at a time. Cool.
With warm Rotary hugs,