Scholarship Winners 2023

Northern Columbus Kiwanis supports and encourages higher education, which is why we offer college scholarships worth $1000.00 to graduating high school seniors. Students attending Whetstone, Thomas Worthington, Worthington Christian, Bishop Watterson and Linworth Alternative. are eligible to apply. Also, if you are a student at another high school you may also be eligible. Students enrolling in a 2-year or 4-year college program, are eligible to apply.

Below are the four recipients of the 2023 Northern Kiwanis Club Scholarship: Brooke Carter, Rachael McCague, Rylie Gates, and Joshua Kim. We wish them much success as they begin their college experience.

Congratulations to the 2023 Northern Kiwanis Scholarship recipients:

Brooke Carter’s curriculum included Advanced Placement and Honors classes, along with courses at Central Ohio Technical College and Columbus State Community College. She was a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honors Society. Carter played varsity tennis, was captain of the gymnastics team, and served on the Student Athletic Leadership Board.She was a state officer for the International Order of Rainbow for Girls where she helped raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation, Honor Flight, the National Eating Disorders Association and Miracle League, which built a unique baseball field for athletes with mental and physical challenges in Central Ohio.

Carter participated in many service projects such as Trick-or-Canning, book drives, the Holiday Compassion Project, and a blood drive.“I participated in service projects throughout that directly impact our community,” Carter wrote in her essay.“My leadership and service experiences have provided me with invaluable skills, such as public speaking and conducting meetings.”

Carter volunteered with Wolves for Cubs, mentoring elementary school students, and served four years on the Student Council. She was vice president of Club BioMed which exposes students to different medical careers.

Carter will attend the University of Miami and major in health sciences.

*************************************************************************

Rachael McCague’s curriculum included Advanced Placement and Honors classes, participated in the International Baccalaureate program, and was awarded a Global Scholar Diploma. She was vice president of the National Honor Society, served as vice president of the Student Council for three years, and in the Tri-M Music Honor Society. McCague participated in track and field, as well as cross country.She was president of the Kilbourne Rotary International Interact Club, where she helped organize events to provide service to other charitable organizations.

McCague helped plan a naturalization ceremony for 300 new citizens, volunteered with Stitched Together, which serves children in the foster care system, and helped at the Worthington Resource Pantry.“Through serving others, whether it’s a large organization or my peers, I am leading,” McCague wrote in her scholarship essay. “Helping, guiding, giving of myself show others I care, and caring is what makes a good leader.”

She participated in the Socratic Society at Kilbourne and played in the philharmonic orchestra.

McCague will attend the College of William and Mary and major in English.

*************************************************************************

Rylie Gates’ curriculum included Advanced Placement classes, along with courses at Columbus State Community College. She was a member of the National Honor Society at Whetstone and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at CSCC. Gates served as captain of the women’s varsity tennis team, was a member of the marching and concert bands, and active in theater.She was a leader in the Key Club, a Kiwanis-sponsored high school service club, serving one year as president. Gates participated in many service projects such as packing food for people in Africa, packing buddy boxes of food for kids at the Family Mentor Foundation, and the Pumpkin Patch at the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center.

“Service and leadership are important to me because it gives me a chance to give back to my community which has done so much for me,” Gates wrote in her scholarship essay. “It gives me the opportunity to help those in need.”

She has participated in tree planting and environmental cleaning with Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, Whetstone HS landscaping and cleaning, cat socialization with the Cat Welfare Association, and book collection and giveaway at local elementary schools with Northern Columbus Kiwanis.

Gates will attend the Ohio State University where she will major in architecture.

*************************************************************************

Joshua Kim’s curriculum included Advanced Placement and Honors classes, along with courses at Central Ohio Technical College and Columbus State Community College. He was a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. Kim was on the varsity track team.He participated in the Global Leadership Institute and earned a diploma from the Global Scholars Program funded by the Columbus Council on World Affairs. He volunteered in after-school tutoring programs and participated in the MUSIC program which focuses on mentoring rising youth leaders in Columbus through music.

“Being able to help those in need to excel and overcome challenges is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences,” Kim wrote in his scholarship essay. He also helped start a lawn-care business whose vision is to partner with inner-city high school students to develop entrepreneurial skills.

He volunteered in after-school tutoring programs, and with the Riverview International Center, which provides services to immigrants and refugees in Columbus.

After spending the coming year volunteering to help children in Mexico, Kim will attend OSU where he will major in mechanical engineering.