The Frankfort Rotary Club awarded $1,000 scholarships to four graduating seniors from Clinton County high schools Monday, honoring students whose records of community service, academic achievement and clear-eyed ambition reflect Rotary’s core principle of “service above self.”
The four recipients — Iribiana Cervantes of Frankfort High School, Hannah Jacobs of Clinton Central High School, Brennan Smith of Clinton Prairie High School and Jacob Weaver of Rossville High School — will all attend either Purdue University or Indiana University in the fall. Now in its second year, the Frankfort Rotary Scholarship program delivered $4,000 in total scholarship funding and heard three of the four recipients address the Rotary Club in person, where students shared about their experiences and plans.
Program coordinator Lesley Miller, a Rotary member who helped organize the effort, kept her assessment of the program’s trajectory simple: “This is our second year, and we’re going strong.”
The scholarships were proposed by a fellow Rotarian and former Frankfort School Board member Karen Sutton, credited by colleagues for having “taken the bull by the horns” to launch the program. Though Karen was not present at Monday’s meeting, her initiative was evident in the caliber of students the program has attracted.
A Program Rooted in Community Values
The Rotary’s scholarship program was built around the same philosophy that defines the organization itself — the idea that service to others is not a credential to be collected but a way of living. That theme emerged in the written scholarship applications and spoken remarks each student who appeared before the club Thursday at Arborwood.
Each application asked students to reflect on how they had impacted their school and community. The answers ranged from founding an inclusion club at Clinton Prairie to translating for non-English-speaking patients in a hospital emergency department, to discovering a path to the career of Nurse Practitioner — acts of service that were, in each case, undertaken not because they were required, but because the students felt compelled to act.
Iribiana Cervantes: From Reserved Freshman to Future Biomedical Engineer
Iribiana Cervantes arrived at Frankfort High School, by her own account, as someone who “only talked to my close friends.” She will leave it as president of both the National Honor Society and the Crash Club, and she will head to Purdue University in the fall to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering — a path shaped by experiences she couldn’t have anticipated when she walked through FHS’s doors four years ago.
Crash Club, which encourages students to pursue higher education and give back to their communities, became the turning point. Joining as a freshman set in motion a process of personal growth that Cervantes describes with characteristic specificity in her written application:
“Gaining the experience of leading peers and volunteering activities, club meetings in classroom settings is not something I ever imagined myself doing, especially at the start of my high school career. I used to only talk to my close friends, but by joining clubs such as Crash — a club that encourages students to pursue a higher education, giving back to the local community — my freshman year, and ever since then I’ve allowed myself to grow. I’m no longer as shy and timid as I used to be, as I even gained the courage at the end of my junior year to run for the role of president for two of the most well-known clubs at FHS, National Honor Society and the Crash Club. I give a high amount of credit to the community service I’ve done for the change I’ve experienced. The volunteering opportunities I’ve had range from cleaning up after football and basketball games to giving Hispanic heritage presentations at our local elementary schools during Hispanic Heritage Month during the Crash Club. We lessen the workload of school custodians, teach younger students about a culture that is a large part of our community, and overall connect with the community so that they know that the youth care about them. Willing to dedicate time and effort to me, putting service of oneself is to do community service even when it’s not required from you — that no club hours have to be completed and you do it because you genuinely want to help, to learn and teach.”
–Iribiana Cervantes, Senior at Frankfort High School–
Her service extended well beyond campus. As part of a capstone program through Ivy Tech, Cervantes volunteered at IU Health Frankfort — and found herself doing something no one had planned for her.
“In October I started volunteering at IU Health — the hospital here in Frankfort — for my clinical hours I needed to complete for my capstone, a program through Ivy Tech,” she told the Rotary Club. “While I was there, I was placed in the emergency department. Most of what I did was clean patient rooms. Occasionally they have interpreter machines for patients who don’t speak English, and sometimes that machine wasn’t working. The doctors would ask me to translate for patients. Whenever I did that, I’m just seeing the relief over patients knowing that I was in the room with them — because I understood and was able to connect with the doctor — was just something that I liked experiencing.”
Her interest in biomedical engineering crystallized during a separate experience: a bilingual cardiovascular health survey she participated in through a grassroots leadership development program for Hispanic students. Nursing students from Purdue were on site, using portable diagnostic equipment in the field.
“We were offered to be part of a bilingual cardiovascular study in the community,” Cervantes said. “It was targeted for the Hispanic population here in Clinton County. We were on foot, surveying around town, and nursing students from Purdue who were close to graduating were with us. I’m seeing this little machine do so much work for them — I thought that was just interesting.”
That spark of curiosity pointed her toward stem cell research and the 3D printing of organs — fields she intends to explore at Purdue. And the lesson she carries forward from four years of service and leadership is, at its core, about connection.
When asked what critical lessons turned out to be valuable in her experience as a student, she said “In general, it’s communication — whether we’re communicating with teachers about not understanding assignments or needing help, or within language — being around other students who may not understand English as well as I do, but knowing that I can still be there to help them because we’re all going through the same experience,” she said. “I think I’ve learned the value of communicating with those around me and understanding that we’re all going at our different paces.”
Hannah Jacobs: Showing Up, Every Time
Hannah Jacobs will be the first to tell you that service doesn’t require a grand gesture. The Clinton Central High School senior, who will study nursing at Purdue University this fall, has spent four years proving that point through steady, unspectacular presence — the kind of leadership that shows up even when it’s inconvenient.
Jacob’s path to Purdue comes with practical constraints that most of her classmates don’t face. Jacobs is a triplet, and she plans to commute to campus and work to finance her own education.
“I will be going to Purdue University this fall for nursing and I plan on working at the hospital in Lafayette, IU Health, as a lab tech,” she said Monday. “I’m a triplet, so that’s why I’m commuting to campus and working as much as I can to save as much money.”
Jacob job-shadowed at a clinic and has been inspired in part by a sister pursuing a career in cardiology. Her long-term goals include becoming a nurse practitioner, with a possible focus on women’s health or the NICU. But the foundation of her application rested less on credentials than on philosophy — a philosophy she articulates with striking clarity in her written essay:
“The phrase ‘service above self’ can sound like a grand abstract philosophy, but I’ve come to see it as something much more practical. It is a simple act of showing up for people even when you are tired or would rather be doing something else. My life is usually a blur of sports and school and there are plenty of days when I’d rather go home and sleep. However, I’ve learned that being a leader in my community — whether it is on the track or in the student council — means people look to me to set the standard. If I show up with a good attitude and give people my full attention, it does make a difference. In Clinton County, I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to Coach Kids and Youth Rise. I’ve realized quickly that people do not care about my GPA or how fast I run. They just care that I’m there. Impacting my community has not been about one heroic moment. It has been about the small actions — like consistently mentoring a child who needs a role model or being a positive presence in the classroom. Dedicating my time and energy to others has altered my perspective on my life. It stopped being about checking a box for a resume and started to be about how I want to treat people every day because it’s the right thing to do. It has made me more patient and undoubtedly more aware of what others are going through.”
–Hannah Jacobs, Senior at Clinton Central High School–
Jacob’s work with Coach Kids and Youth Rise represents that “showing up” ethic in practice — sustained mentorship of younger students in Clinton County athletics and youth programs. Active in student council throughout high school, Jacobs closed her remarks to the Rotary with a message aimed at the students who will follow her.
“Do not be afraid to ask for help, especially as you get into harder classes,” she said. “For me it was chemistry. Everything builds, so you don’t want to get stuck and get behind. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your teachers or your administration.”
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Brennan Smith: Building Inclusion — and a Path to Wrigley Field
Brennan Smith had two goals coming out of Clinton Prairie High School: make his small school more welcoming for students with special needs and eventually run the front office of the Chicago Cubs.
He seems to be making progress on both.
Smith founded ‘Buddy Club’ at Clinton Prairie during his junior year, creating a structured program in which general education students spend time alongside peers with special needs — a concept he developed with special education teachers after years of serving informally as a classroom aide.
“I created this during my junior year,” Smith told the Rotary Club. “My freshman and sophomore year I was already in special needs classes — I was an aide for them. I did coffee shops with them. One of the things I learned about was HOBY — the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Program — during the summer. I actually met someone else that created a similar program at another school, so they were able to help me create that at our school.”
The response exceeded anything Smith had anticipated.
“Our first year we had over 40 people sign up, which is pretty big for our school sense we have less than 300 students freshman through senior,” he said.
Buddy Club also sells autism awareness shirts to raise visibility for special needs students within the broader school community. In his written application, Smith describes not only what he hoped to give others through the club, but what it gave him in return:
“I believe I’ve impacted my school and community in a positive way through hours of volunteering with clubs such as Coach Kids, National Honor Society, Learning to Lead, Youth Rise, Key Club, Science Club, and Buddy Club. Buddy Club is a club that I created with special needs teachers where students spend time with special needs students. People are sometimes unsure how to interact with students who have special needs because they may look or act differently. One of my goals with Buddy Club is to help spread awareness and create a more welcoming environment for these students. One way we are doing this is by selling autism awareness shirts that members of the school and community can purchase. This helps raise awareness about special needs students while also encouraging people to support inclusion. Through this club, I hope to help others understand that students with special needs deserve the same friendships, opportunities, and respect as anyone else. Buddy Club has also had a major impact on me as a person and changed my life in a positive way. I believe I have become calmer, more patient, better with kids, and a stronger communicator. I have also gained an understanding of the importance of kindness and inclusion.”
–Brennan Smith, Senior at Clinton Prairie High School–
Smith’s other passion — baseball — has taken him to 12 stadiums and more than 15 games, and it is the reason he chose Indiana University Bloomington, where he will study data science with a minor in sports analytics this fall. Kaspar Media has invited Smith to shadow Kaspar Media Sports Director Sam Wort to be exposed to the commercial broadcast side of Sports and Athletics.
“I’ve loved baseball through my whole life,” he said. “I’ve gone to over 15 games, 12 stadiums. When the Cubs sucked a few years ago, I said I could do better than that… So I Googled what you needed, and data science and sports analytics were the main majors needed for that kind of work.”
Smith’s blueprint for the future is detailed: start in scouting analytics, work his way up, and eventually reach the top of the organization.
“I want to eventually work for the Cubs as a sports analyst, pretty much doing scouting reports of their teams and future team prospects, and then after that hopefully being president of baseball operations, which is pretty much a general manager in NFL terms,” Smith said.
Jacob Weaver: Rossville’s Representative
Jacob Weaver of Rossville High School also received a $1,000 scholarship from the Frankfort Rotary Club. Weaver was unable to attend Monday’s meeting — he was participating in graduation practice and a senior lunch — and his checks, like those of the other three recipients, were distributed prior to the meeting.
‘A Very Special Pocket’: What This Class Says About Clinton County
Taken together, the four recipients represent something larger than four individual success stories. They come from four different schools across Clinton County, and yet the common thread of their applications is remarkably consistent: a sense of obligation to the people around them, a willingness to act on it, and — as Jacobs put it — the understanding that showing up matters more than any single achievement.
That coherence did not go unnoticed. A Rotary member offered closing remarks that captured what the room seemed to feel.
“You’ve given us a lot of hope in our future,” the Rotarian Lesley Miller said. “It’s nice to hear — I can’t say I was this driven and knew what I wanted to do at your age. There just seems to be a very special pocket here in Clinton County — with so many clubs and opportunities as our kids have in all four corporations in terms of volunteer opportunities. We’re very thankful for you being here today and we’re excited about the future you’re about to bring.”
That “special pocket” — built over years through Rotary clubs, school organizations, youth programs and community health initiatives — is precisely what each of these students absorbed and, in their own ways, expanded. Cervantes gave it a voice in hospital hallways. Jacobs gave it consistency in gyms, on the field and in the classrooms. Smith gave it a name and a meeting time in a school with fewer than 300 students.
All four Rotary Scholarship winners will carry it with them when they leave Clinton County this fall — to lecture halls, labs and, eventually, careers they have already begun to imagine in specific detail. The ‘Service Above Self’ has already started and taken root.
The Frankfort Rotary Club will be watching.
