Several of the Rotary Club of Kirkland's 2020 scholarship recipients have written to share something of their first year after high school. In this edition of the Spokesman, Rotarians hear from Karla Santiago Pastrana, recipient of last year’s STEP scholarship, which was sponsored by Russ & Tricia Stromberg. Here is her message to the club's membership:I am currently in my second quarter at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) and plan to major in Writing Studies. My dream is to be a writer of light novels and manga.
I have excelled academically at UWT, earning a 3.7 GPA last quarter, while also staying active on campus. Recently, I submitted a comic that focused on mental health to the UWT annual literacy arts magazine called Tahoma West. Finally, I was selected to be part of a UWT leadership group called Race, Identity, and Social Engagement (RISE) where I am learning about racial identity, inequities and develop leadership skills. Thanks to RISE I have created kinship among my classmates.
Thank you for believing in me. I am enjoying my undergraduate school experience so far and will continue getting involved on campus.