News of the achievements of local students and members of the Armed Forces.
** Eliza Hardy of Arlington will earn a bachelor of science degree in communications studies during upcoming commencement exercises at Utah State University.
** Arlington residents Faith Achugamonu, Anais Beauvais, Aidan Birendaum, Leah Karush and Sam Levy have been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Washington University in St. Louis.
** Arlington students Alicia Marconi, Beartz Pascual Macias, Andrew Hutsko, Daniel Saltzberg, J. Trevor Guy, Lorne Epstein, Mary Smaragdis and Nathalie Bagnoud McGinn have been inducted into the George Mason University chapter and Arlington resident Sheneil Black has been inducted into the University of Maryland Baltimore campus chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
** The Arlington Rotary Club awarded college scholarships totaling $18,000 to two Arlington high-school students at its annual education-fund banquet on April 28, and honored Heyshell Serrano Valle as the club’s Key School “Educator of the Year” for 2021-22.
Ms. Serrano teaches third-grade math, science and Spanish-language-arts in Key School-Escuela Key’s bilingual elementary-school program. Originally from Honduras, Ms. Seranno joined the Key School faculty in 2016 after teaching previously in New York City. She was praised especially for her devotion to students and mentoring of other faculty.
“Heyshell never says ‘no’ to anyone who needs support,” said Tony Weaver, president of the Arlington Rotary Club, who presented the award.
Weaver also introduced the club’s college-bound students:
• Dayana Cespedes Mendoza of Yorktown High School is the recipient of a $10,000 scholarship over four years. She plans to attend George Mason University in the fall to study civil engineering.
• Migel Vergara of Arlington Community High School is the recipient of the club’s $8,000 Audra Rafter Scholarship. He plans to attend Marymount University to study English and computer science.
The Arlington Rotary Club is a partner with Key School for community service and honors a member of its faculty or staff each year. The club’s financial support for special programs includes the purchase of books at the school’s annual Book Fair for teachers to use in their classrooms and for students who can’t afford personal selections to take ones home as their own.
“Our partnership with Escuela Key is a perfect fit with Rotary International’s commitment to education and other civic causes, both locally in Arlington and globally,” Weaver said. “Our annual scholarships also are part of that commitment.”
Rotary International is a global network of 1.4 million members in 200 countries, with 46,000+ local clubs, dedicated to volunteer community service. The Arlington club was founded in 1929.