(Photos courtesy Rotary Club of West Seattle)

The Rotary Club of West Seattle continues honoring local students for their achievements, and with this announcement, points out that honors go to students in alternative programs as well as conventional high-school paths:

Twice during this school year 2022-23, Fall and Spring, the West Seattle Rotary has presented a Student of the Semester (SoS) Award to a student chosen by the Southwest Youth and Family Services (SWYFS) GED Prep Program. These are outstanding students who are expected to earn their GED by the end of the school year and go on to an accredited post-secondary program.

They receive an award certificate, $100, and a chance to be chosen as the SWYFS GED Prep Student of the Year (SoY). The SoY winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship from West Seattle Rotary during a ceremony on June 13th. On April 11th, West Seattle Rotarian Alan Mitchell presented the Spring SoS award to Jessica Delker during the Club’s lunchtime meeting at the West Seattle Golf Course. She was introduced by Case Manager Amanda Alvarado and presented a brief, highly evocative bio.

Jessica was also accompanied by her 11-month-old son Joel (above), her mother, and her partner.

Jessica exemplifies the high potential of teenagers and young adults who are enabled by SWYFS to follow an unconventional pathway to a high-school degree, college, and career, despite daunting life circumstances. West Seattle Rotary worked with Amanda and other leaders in the SWYFS GED Prep Program to tailor the SoS and SoY awards for its students’ special needs.

You can read more about the SWYFS – based in North Delridge – education programs here.