From volleyball, to making speeches, she does it all! Ava Lopez, sophomore, prides herself on being highly involved in school and extra curriculars. Ava participated in the Rotary Speech Contest that was tied into the Interact club. The Interact club is a Rotary sponsored club for “youth ages 12-18 who want to connect with others in their community or school.” Although she is not a part of the club, she is still a proud contest winner. Ava placed 3rd and won a cash prize of $25.

“I’ve been playing volleyball for eight years and I play as an opposite hitter (or right side as it’s more commonly known). So far I’ve been a straight A student since 6th grade…my favorite subjects are biology (or any science really) history, and art. One thing that people don’t know at first impressions is that I’m allergic to peanuts which is a little annoying. Some things I find kind of weird about myself is that I laugh at the smallest things (even if they aren’t that funny). I don’t really like bacon, I don’t really enjoy marinara sauce all that much (and I’m Italian so I guess I’m a fake Italian) and I despise the cold. I hate feeling the slightest bit cold unless it’s on a hot day or if I’ve been sweating a lot after practice and need to cool down. Otherwise I’m bundled in blankets and sweatshirts all the time (even in the summer sometimes).”

When asked why she decided to be involved in the contest, she explained: “I chose to be involved in the contest because I wanted to work on my essay writing skills, my public speaking, and in a selfish sense it would look good on a college resume.” We recognize the success Ava has achieved, but what did it take to get there? “What I did to be a winner is write an essay based on the four questions of Rotary and a topic of how something could create opprotunities.” Ava decided to write about the opportunities of community gardens. “It didn’t really take much to be a winner. I just had to write an essay and revise and edit it. I think the hardest part was finding time to even do it and memorizing it. (It was required).”

If students want to join Rotary, where can they do it? “Sahuaro has a club called the Interact club that heavily ties into the Rotary club…you could join later on through the Interact club if you are interested.”

When asked what words of encouragement she would give to future Rotary individuals, she replied: “Just go for it. It takes so little time out of your day, and while it may seem daunting speaking in front of people and having to memorize it, it’s great practice for the future and I highly recommend doing it. Plus there’s a cash prize for each placement…All in all it was really fun and such a great experience that you don’t really need prior speaking skills to participate.”