Rotary Club awards scholarships to 7 high-school students

The Rotary Club of Las Cruces has announced that seven local high-school students have received scholarships from the Rotary Club of Las Cruces Foundation with major assistance from the John and Eunice Davidson Fund.

The scholarships were awarded to Shea Binkley, Jordan Gurule, McKayla Hartung, Aubrianna Martinez,

Trevor Taylor, Sienna Torrez and Joshua Walsh.

“These awards will help the students with their first year’s college expenses when they attend college,” Rotary Club of Las Cruces members Jeffrey Brown,  Bill Harty and Patty Groth said in a news release.

Diana Davidson, the daughter of John and Eunice Davidson, was a member of the selection committee for the awards. The awards were presented at the club’s May 26 Zoom meeting.  One student, Jordan Gurule, was given her scholarship letter at the Rio Grande Preparatory Academy commencement on May 22 by Club President-elect Barry Fisher.

Binkley, who graduated from Centennial High School, was in the top 10 percent of her class and was a district tennis champion.  She was co-president of the CHS Rotary Interact Club in 2018-19 and participated in Rotary International Youth Exchange where she lived in the Netherlands, learned Dutch, and was a teacher’s aide and tutor.  She will have a leadership role next year in the Rotaract Club at New Mexico State University, where she plans to enroll.

Gurule graduated from the Rio Grande Preparatory Academy, where she was the senior class valedictorian.  Gurule plans to attend NMSU and major in biology.  Her goal is to become a medical doctor specializing in emergency medicine. She plans to be active in the NMSU Rotaract Club. 

Hartung has completed her junior year at Mayfield High School where she is a member of the honor society and has helped provide blankets for the homeless.  She has her own small origami owl business.  Hartung has played in Mayfield’s orchestra and plays softball and volleyball. 

Martinez has completed her junior year at Oñate High School. She has a 4.0 GPA and has lettered in academics. Martinez is a member of the National Honor Society and received awards from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the White Sands Key Club. Martinez hopes to study computer science at NMSU and to become a Google intern in New York.

Taylor has graduated from Arrowhead Park Early College High School and is involved with the National Honor Society. He is an Eagle Scout and assistant Boy Scout troop leader. Taylor has been involved with robotics since middle school and has advanced to the world competition.  In addition to his high-school diploma, Taylor has completed an associate of science degree from Doña Ana Community College.  He plans to study chemical engineering at NMSU. 

Torrez has completed her junior year at Arrowhead Park Early College Medical School. She has been a volunteer, providing meals for the homeless and she has served at Jardin de los Niños education and childcare program for children and families struggling with homelessness. Torrez had a liver transplant as a small child and is now involved in a transplant support group. After graduation, she plans to study pediatric gastroenterology and become a physician. 

Walsh has completed his junior year at Oñate High. He is a varsity letterman in football, golf and soccer with All-State honors in soccer and golf. Walsh is interested in physics, engineering and psychology and would like to pursue a career in astrophysics. 

The late John and Eunice Davidson left a lasting legacy for their daughters’ communities by creating the John and Eunice Davidson Fund, the news release said. The family uses the funds to enhance local communities by supporting nonprofits. John Davidson was a longtime Rotarian in Tucson, Los Angeles and Las Cruces. The Davidsons always emphasized education, and Diana Davidson is a retired educator.