Claire Vaitkus aspires to acquire knowledge of Alzheimer’s and science through enrolling at Kalamazoo College. The support of Rotary, her family, teachers, coaches, and employers through injury and COVID have been key factors in inspiring her love for science and for helping others. Claire has had a passion for volunteering and helping others find love in the sports with which she fell in love as a kid, and this was just the beginning of her goal of volunteering around the world. Claire’s desire to help others stems from her close experiences with Alzheimer’s.Alzheimer’s is a present issue for millions of people, her close family included, and she wants to use whatever outlets she possibly can to help aid those with it and educate more people about it. The power of education extends throughout one’s entire life, Lexi says, and she wants to use her education to support Alzheimer’s families, explore the intricate patterns of science, and help every community she becomes a part of through sports and service. Claire is the recipient of a $3,000 Kirkland Rotary Scholarship.