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| Josh Rugwiza, Joel Baker, and Pooja Shirahatti were honored at the Kettering Rotary for their leadership, academics, and outstanding service achievements. |
Kettering, OH - On Wednesday, May 5, 2017, three DRSS students were recognized for their academic achievements, leadership, and dedication to service. They were recognized alongside other students from Kettering High School and Altar by members of the Kettering Rotary.
DRSS senior and Class of 2017 Valedictorian, Joel Baker, received the Service Above Self Award. Joel serves as the service director for the National Honor Society at DRSS and is a leader in his church's youth group. Next year, he will be attending Clavin College, where he will triple major in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Theology.
The prize comes with a $250 reward, which is matched by a $250 donation to Joel's non-profit of choice. Joel selected Back2Back Ministries, an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for orphans. Joel has participated in multiple missions trips to orphanages sponsored by Back2Back Ministries already and looks forward to doing more work for them in the future. After graduating from Calvin, he later hopes to go on to graduate school and earn a dual masters’ degrees in Business and Materials Engineering.
Joshua Rugwiza was recognized with the Overcoming Adversity Award, which was accompanied by a $500 cash prize. Josh is a senior at the Dayton Regional STEM School this year and is a member of both the National Honors Society as well as the Junior Council on World Affairs.
Joshua arrived in the United States four years ago; but before that he had lived in three different African countries, including The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Kenya. Josh speaks four different languages and is currently on a path to minor in Chinese. He was selected for the award, in part, because he came to the country knowing only how to say "How are you?" in English as a new 8th grade student. Now, only four years later, Josh speaks English fluently and plans to go on to pursue a degree in medicine after going to Wright State University to major in Biology.
The third student recognized was Pooja Shirahatti. Pooja received the Leadership Award, which recognizes students who demonstrate leadership qualities at an early age. Pooja is a junior and joined the school in her 8th grade year after moving to the United States from India. At school, she is involved and helps lead many student initiatives and is involved with Key Club, Yearbook, Junior Council on World Affairs, National Honor Society, a local Refugee Resettlement program, and SAT Club. She also enjoys performing dances at the India Club of Dayton.
Pooja's award was accompanied by a scholarship to attend a local leadership training camp with other local area students, which Pooja also presented on at today's meeting. After graduation, she plans to apply to Wright State University for her undergrad. She aspires to become a surgeon in the future, and her dream medical school is Johns Hopkins.
Congratulations to all of our students on being recognized for their outstanding achievements!
