Dr. Phil Ballinger, special adviser for the Presidential Scholars Initiative at the University of Washington, reminds us some of our young people in Washington amaze us by their commitment and work to serve others and their communities. Sometimes these students do not show up on high school 'radars' that traditionally focus on highest competitive academics, athletic achievement, or relative social popularity. And yet, some of our most promising young people are quietly doing astonishing things to help others and their communities. The UW wants to identify and recognize these vital future community builders and leaders in Washington, like 2023 Rotary scholarship recipient Austin Picinich who was selected this year for the Presidential Scholar program!Several years ago, former Alaska Airlines CEO Bill Ayer and his wife Pam endowed an initiative and scholarship at the University of Washington to support finding these often-unheralded young people and keep them in Washington State. Dr. Ballinger is again looking across Washington for students who already demonstrate striking, self-initiated, and persistent engagement and leadership within their communities to address needs they have encountered or experienced. This program — with its associated major four-year scholarship ― is called 'the Presidential Scholars Initiative' at the University of Washington.
In short, the university brings these students to the UW on a near full-tuition scholarship as well as mentors them in developing their leadership potential. For examples of two of our most recent Presidential Scholars, one from Quilcene and the other from Spokane, click on this link a watch the videos: The University of Washington’s Presidential Scholars — investing in tomorrow’s leaders. Later in the year, we'll be hearing from one of our Rotary scholarship recipients, Austin Picinich, who was accepted into the Presidential Scholars program.
Dr. Ballinger is identifying these students 'organically' by communicating with leaders around the state ― mayors of our towns and cities, directors of not-for-profit organizations, superintendents and principals of school districts and schools, religious leaders, and service-oriented organizations (Rotary Clubs, etc.). The UW does not use an application process to select the Scholars ― in fact, future Presidential Scholars will have no clue that they are known and as is their marvelous work in their communities. This recognition and scholarship will come to them as a total surprise and through a public recognition. The UW will tell their stories and emphasize the values they exemplify ― values that are of great importance to our society and to the University.
So far, the Presidential Scholars have come from the following communities: Bellevue, Connell, East Wenatchee, Ephrata, Fife, Goldendale, Grand Coulee, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Medical Lake, Mount Vernon, North Bend, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Quilcene, Redmond, Renton, Seattle, Selah, Spokane, Tacoma, Toppenish, Tukwila, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wapato, and Yakima.
What can Rotarians do to support this initiative and its students? First, help identify such students. You can find information sharing links here:
To share the name of an outstanding student with us, please use this link: Share the Name.
To share the name and any supportive documents with us (optional), please use this link: Share the Name and Supportive Documents (which will require a Google sign-in).
Typically, recommended students are high school seniors, residents of Washington, and applicants for admission to the University of Washington. Information about students should be shared as soon as possible but not later than the 15th of January.