Sunrise Rotary Scholarships

Students from West Valley High School shine in Rotary Scholarship competition

Congratulations to graduating seniors from West Valley High School who received merit-based scholarships, recently, from the Yakima Sunrise Rotary Club.

Sunrise Rotary is a community service organization that meets every week on Wednesday mornings at Yakima Valley College. Sunrise Rotary sponsors scholarships for post-secondary education that are available for students from the Yakima Valley.

The following students from West Valley received the Yakima Sunrise Rotary, Memorial Community Service Scholarship:

-Natasha Kalombo ($2,000)

-Millea McMurry ($2,000)

The following students from West Valley received the Yakima Sunrise Rotary, Speech Contest Scholarship:

-Natasha Kalombo, First Place ($3,500)

-Lily Shirey, Fourth Place ($1,000)

Natasha Kalombo’s speech focused on the importance of understanding each other and making space to build unity in our community. Here is her speech in its entirety:

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In 2019, the Council on Foreign Relations surveyed US adults’ knowledge about geography, foreign policy, and world demographics. The results were staggering: only 6% of the participants got at least 80% of the questions right. This highlights a significant deficit in community awareness. My pitch to you today is that change is made through community by seeking knowledge, shared experiences, and a willingness to learn from others. Community breeds unity, and the more we understand one another, the stronger we become.

I used to think I understood my community. As the daughter of an immigrant, I thought there’s no way I could be so ignorant as to not be aware of this, but stepping beyond my bubble exposed just how wrong I was.

Community is about who shows up when life gets hard. In Yakima County, the domestic violence rate is 13.9 per 1,000 individuals, nearly double the national average. Prior to high school, I had no clue about this urgent and often unseen need.

My sophomore year, I joined the Teen Empowerment Network or TEN Club. Our goal is to support the YWCA while raising awareness about domestic violence and healthy relationships. What started as a casual club with friends, quickly grew into a passion for this issue and opened my eyes to an entirely unknown population.

Without joining, I wouldn’t know stories like Rucio Ramoz-Martinez, a woman beaten to death by her child’s father in front of the YWCA. I wouldn’t know about the new shelter the YWCA is building to house those in need, which we’re currently fundraising for. I wouldn’t know about Yakima’s public monthly Domestic Violence Coalition meeting to strategize ways to combat the pervasive issue. These women are our neighbors, our mothers, and our sisters - it’s vital that we care for what affects them. Understanding others’ struggles builds community connection and unifies efforts for aid. The saying remains true: if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together. Nurturing others nurtures ourselves because community breeds unity.

The idea of community has been instilled in me since childhood. My father is from Zambia, a culture where family and community are paramount, something I saw on display during our last visit.

On the first day of freshman year, my father’s mother passed away after battling multiple chronic illnesses for decades.

That spring, we went to Zambia for her funeral, and I never in my life have I seen a community unify in the way they did for her and for us. I knew she was a matriarch within her village, but what I witnessed was over 100 people come together on her tiny lawn to share a meal and stories about her impact on their life. In that moment, I experienced the true effect of community.

We often think of money as wealth, but in Zambia, I noticed a wealth built on the foundation of community. Even growing up in a Zambian-American household, I never fully grasped that until I witnessed it myself. True community isn’t just about proximity; it’s about mutual care, shared understanding, and learning from one another. Community breeds unity.

Strong, diverse communities reap undeniable benefits. In sports, teams with more diverse athletes, like the US Olympic team, often perform better. In education, schools with higher community engagement have better test scores, graduation rates, and student achievements. In the corporate sector, businesses choose neighborhoods, not just cities, and those with stronger community ties tend to be more successful. In politics, there is a direct correlation between community engagement and political engagement.

But I’m sure you’re wondering, what does this mean practically for us? First, get your hands dirty, locally. Attend school board or community meetings, like the Domestic Violence Coalition meeting. Volunteer at the YWCA or Camp Home. The largest effects from laws and bills are felt locally, and that’s where we have the most power to make change, so utilize that privilege.

Next, think globally and learn continuously. Educate yourself about our world beyond these borders. Take an online geography crash course, read books by geographically diverse authors, or follow global news. Either way, maintain a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.

And finally, seek to build true community wherever you go. Support businesses that value community over profit. Vote for initiatives that promote global education. Go out of your way to be an intentionally good neighbor. I implore you to ask yourself: In what ways are you fostering spaces of growth and learning in the communities you’re a part of? In what ways are you being a unifying community member?

One of my favorite quotes is, “don’t let your inability to do everything undermine your determination to do something.” If we want a stronger future, we need stronger communities, and often that will mean stepping outside familiar environments. Because when we see more, we understand more. And when we understand more, we create real change.

At the end of the day, community isn’t just about where we are; it’s about who we choose to be. Let’s choose to be learners. Let’s choose to be connectors. Let’s choose to be builders of something bigger than ourselves.