Shenandoah girls awarded Knights of Columbus scholarships
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The Knights of Columbus presented their annual Stanley G. Rakowsky Scholarships on Saturday. (From L-R: Front Row: Joe Boris, financial secretary; Relle Barcenas; Lucero Zavala Perez. Second Row: Tom Venusti; Bob Balchus; John Thomas; Bill Applegate; Matt Smarkanic; Andrew Smarkanic.
SHENANDOAH – Two Shenandoah girls are receiving some help for their educational endeavors thanks to a scholarship named for a longtime local leader.
The Knights of Columbus Council 518 in Shenandoah awarded two scholarships in honor of Dr. Stanley G. Rakowsky, a longtime Shenandoah Valley School District superintendent.
This year’s recipients were Lucero Zavala Perez, a Shenandoah Valley senior, and Relles Barcenas, a Marian Catholic senior.
“These two young women exemplify the faith, service, and dedication that this scholarship was created to honor,” Andy Smarkanic, scholarship chairman, said at a presentation Saturday morning in Shenandoah. “We are proud to support them as they continue their educational and spiritual journeys.”
Both girls are members of the Divine Mercy Parish in Shenandoah and have been active in parish life, the Knights of Columbus said.
Zavala Perez is an active member of various activities at Shenandoah Valley, including marching band, concert band, soccer, cross country and student council. She is the president of the National Honor Society and was Shenandoah Valley’s Female Scholar Athlete.
Barcenas has also been active in the Marian Catholic school community, taking part in the Immaculate Heart Society and Future Business Leaders of America. She has maintained perfect attendance and earned the President’s Award for Academic Achievement.
The two girls, the Knights say, were selected from “an exceptionally strong pool of candidates” for the scholarship which recognizes applicants’ outstanding qualifications and demonstrated commitment to Catholic values.
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