Victoria Rolan: Prepared for the Future
Victoria Rolan has a bright future ahead of her. The 18-year-old woman was born and raised in Stockton. She graduated from Lincoln High this past spring and is headed to college, all the way across the country in State College, Pennslyvania.
Her involvement in Rotary’s Interact Club and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp has helped prepare her for the future by helping her build communication and problem-solving skills and to become a leader in her school community. Lorie Diaz-Liddicoat, who served as Victoria’s RYLA counselor, said, “Interact and RYLA prepare students like Victoria for college by teaching them to collaborate with fellow leaders, embrace ‘Service above Self’ mindset and lead with compassion and teamwork guided by Rotary’s Four-Way-Test.” She praised Victoria’s involvement with the programs.
Victoria recently talked with HERLIFE Magazine about what the future holds. “I am headed to Pennsylvania State University to study nursing,” Victoria said. “I know I’m going far away to college; I want to come back to the Valley area after college, but I also know I wanted to experience living away from California to see what it’s like in another state.”
Rotary has prepared her well for this big move. “With Interact Club through Rotary, everyone has always been so open and it’s forced me to be more social,” she said. “It’s helped me come out of my comfort zone because we are always working on group projects.”
Victoria described her Interact Club project. “I was the president of Interact Club at my high school for two years. During those years we hosted over five blood drives, and we went to our local women’s and children’s center on Halloween to pass out candy to the kids. My club also fundraised money for Rotary. I was also a part of the RYLA, or Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, camp my junior year of high school, which taught me that there are many different ways that someone can be a leader and that there is so much that can be done for our community if we collaborate with one another.”
The fundraisers’ income went to help the constant fight against polio and to help more people get polio vaccinations, especially where these types of vaccinations are sparse, Victoria explained. “This opportunity to serve my community has changed my life because I have been able to see the impact of one kind gesture. Being able to host blood drives and raise money for polio has also strengthened my desire to enter the medical field and help my community as much as I possibly can.”
What’s in her future plans? “My goal for the future is to complete my bachelor’s degree and return to the Valley to work as a NICU nurse. I want to continue helping my community by being there to help and support the most vulnerable of us,” she concluded.
