Pawling Rotary Sending Three High School Students to RYLA!
By Susan Stone
The Pawling Rotary Club is pleased to announce that Emily Mascia, Autumn Tompkins,
and Marlene Ruiz, all sophomores at Pawling High School, have received full scholarships to
attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference to be held on the campus of
Mount Saint Mary’s College in Newburg, NY. The conference, held annually, will take place this
year from Sunday, June 25 through Thursday, June 29, 2023.
RYLA is a globally run leadership program coordinated by local Rotary clubs. According to
leadership conference materials provided to each club within our Rotary district, RYLA “offers
an inspiring and diverse group of exceptional speakers and fun-filled workshop activities that
build leadership skills. Students make lifelong friends as they engage in discussions that delve
into the ethical and social issues that face young people today. Participants are encouraged to
bring their enhanced leadership skills back to their schools and communities.” Additionally,
Rotary clubs have been made aware that participation in RYLA is viewed favorably in the
college admission process.
As in years past, the Pawling Rotary Club looks forward to having our three scholarship winners
join us at one of our regular weekly meetings next fall, when they can share with us their
experiences from this year’s RYLA conference.