CV Rotary Announces $14,000 in Scholarships
The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Board is pleased to announce the recipients of the four scholarships totaling $14,000 awarded annually to graduates of Castro Valley High School: Bob Wabershi Scholarship -Ryan Adib Barouki; Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Scholarship -Zoey Yu; Owen Smith Scholarship -Emma Thucvy Pham; and Sunrise Scholarship -Ashley Huang. Each scholarship recipient received $3500. All four recipients were active in InterAct, a club sponsored by the Rotary Club of Castro Valley that supports and encourages Castro Valley High School students to invest in the lives of those around them while gaining valuable experience and exposure to a multitude of experiences.
On behalf of the entire Rotary Club of Castro Valley and Endowment Board, Endowment Chair Bruce D. Johnson commends all of the recipients for their commitment to investing their lives in serving others stating “These students are exceptional. All four recipients are focused on life goals that will benefit others in the medical field. Each has a marvelous personal story. They are industrious, hard-working (in and out of the classroom) and involved in a variety of activities serving others at school, within the community and church. We are confident these students will excel and make a positive impact on everyone they come into contact with throughout college and after! We are very proud of Ryan, Zoey, Emma, and Ashley.”
Ryan Adib Barouki received The Bob Waberski Scholarship named after longtime Rotary Club of Castro Valley member and former President, who retired as Castro Valley’s Fire Chief in 1993. Chief Waberski left a rich legacy of community service. Ryan’s parents were both born and raised in Syria and immigrated to the United States in hopes of providing their children a better future. In the fall, Ryan will be attending California State University at Long Beach and will be majoring in Microbiology then attend medical school to become a psychiatrist or neurologist. Ryan’s overall grade point average was 3.81. He stated his favorite high school course was Medical Careers 2, which was “the most insightful and enjoyable course I took at CVHS as it enhanced my knowledge of the medical field even further, and we were required to plan and organize events such as the health fair and the Great ShakeOut drill. The course was quite challenging, but Ms. Anderson made it fun and foreshadowed what the future path of a doctor will be like in college.” In addition to InterAct, Ryan was active with the Red Cross club, Junior Sports Medicine, TEDxCVHS, Climbing Club, and Current Issues, and volunteered at Abode (cooking food for the homeless) for two+ years, camp counseling, and Praise Team for six years (four years singing, two instrumentals). His hobbies include gardening, gaming, and playing the violin. Ryan’s parents are Adib and Hana Barouki of Castro Valley.
Zoey Yu received the Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Scholarship for her commitment to serve others, reflecting Rotary’s motto: “Service Above Self.” There are more than one million Rotarians and Interactors in more than 200 countries committed to “Service Above Self” in order to make a difference in their community, nation, and the world. Zoey will be attending University of California at Davis in the fall majoring in Neurobiology. Her goal after college is to attend medical school, and specialize in pediatrics. Her weighted grade point average was 4.34 (out of 4.0). Her favorite class was AP Biology. She was very active in high school serving as President of the Castro Valley Interact Club (2022-2023), Area 2 Director of Interact District 5170 and Castro Valley Interact Club Advisor (2023-2024). She also participated in Competitive Dance (Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-hop), and Clarinet (Castro Valley High School's Honors Wind Ensemble). Zoey is the daughter of William Yu and Crystal Zhang of Castro Valley.
Emma Thucvy Pham received The Owen Smith Scholarship named in the memory of the longtime Rotary Club of Castro Valley, who along with his wife Emma, was committed actively promoting education, including understanding the principles of property rights, entrepreneurship, limited government and a free market. Emma will be attending Chabot Community College in the fall majoring in Nursing with her goal to become a Registered Nurse, and possibly, a Nurse Practitioner. Her weighted grade point average was 4.15. Her favorite class was Mr. (Sean) Fottrell's Honors Physics Class. In addition to the InterAct Club, she was also in the Diversify Our Narrative Club. Emma served in many programs serving others, including being Event Coordinator for Castro Valley Interact during her junior year, and reconnected Castro Valley High School with many Castro Valley Elementary Schools coordinating a total of fifty-three events, which allowed CVHS InterAct members to serve more than two thousand service hours that year. She also served as Co-Event coordinator for Interact District 5170's Area 2 Assembly, and helped organized Area-wide events (across five local high schools) as well as the Area 1, 2, 3 Benefit Show. During her senior year, she was club co-president of Castro Valley Interact Club, and managed a Board of twelve officers. She was also a co-event coordinator for Interact District 5170's District council, and coordinated events for upwards two-hundred-sixty people, and presented at the Fall Leadership Conference in front of around twelve hundred people, and made a presentation at a breakout session during the Rotary International Conference in Singapore in 2023-24. Emma also loves to read (especially memoirs), play her clarinet, and run. Emma’s parents are Michael Pham and Elena Do of Castro Valley.
Ashley Huangreceived the Sunrise Scholarship, awarded each year remembering The Sunrise Rotary that merged with the Rotary Club of Castro Valley in 2013 becoming part of the Castro Valley Rotary Endowment. The Sunrise Club is remembered by having a scholarship carry their name, and honoring a student who exhibits their legacy of commitment to the Castro Valley Community, and National and International Service. Ashley will be attending the University of California at Davis in the fall, majoring in Psychology, to become a Clinical Psychologist. Her community involvement included Bring Change to Mind (school club), the Jenny Lin Foundation, volunteering at church working with kids with learning and speech disabilities or other disorders. She also enjoys her hobbies of music, art, reading, and writing. Ashley’s parents are Jian Si Chen and Xiong Wan Huang of Castro Valley.
Castro Valley Rotarians John Aufdermauer, Heidi Hausauer, Bruce D. Johnson (Chair), Monica Lee (Secretary), Margarita Ramos and Ray Wallace (Vice-Chair/Treasurer) served on the Endowment Board in 2023-24. For more information on The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and/or the Endowment, please visitwww.castrovalleyrotary.org.
