The Portage Exchange Club feted the April Students of the Month at the Wednesday, April 9, breakfast meeting at Miller’s Senior Living Community Room.
Students of the Month are outstanding seniors selected by a Portage High School personnel, based on scholarship, leadership, extracurricular activities and school and community service. The four students this month represented the PHS Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) program.
PHS Assistant Principal John Zack, also a member of the Portage Exchange Club, accompanied the students and introduced them to the club.
“These are high qualities kids,” Zack said. “They support every philanthropic organization in town. Our town is solid and strong because of young citizens like these.”
Jordan Cunningham has been involved in ROTC for four years and is Unit Sergeant Major. His favorite part is teaching and mentoring new cadets. He is a member of National Honor Society and parliamentarian for Student Court. He has served as secretary for the BPA (Business Professionals of America) and has been a member of French Club. He was a delegate to Hoosier Boys State.
After graduation, he plans to attend IU Bloomington and major in Computer Sciences. He has already enlisted in the Army National Guard.
“I love school. I love learning. I love teaching, and I love Portage High School. It offers something for everyone, and it’s all what you make of it,” Cunningham said.
His parents are Diana and Walter Cunningham.
Stephen Berridge has also been in ROTC for four years. He has been involved in numerous service activities, from working the concession stands at school to unloading mail trucks during the U. S. Mail Food Drives. This year alone he has logged 85 hours of community service.
Berridge is a member of National Honor Society, French Club, the Science Olympiad Team and was selected as a delegate to Hoosiers Boys State. As one of the top students in his class, he was named an ACE award winner and selected Master Sergeant Edwin Bowers as his ACE teacher.
He is also active in his church’s Youth Group and orchestra.
He plans to go to Michigan Technological University.
Stephen’s parents, Jim and Elaine Berridge, accompanied him.
Hannah Cawthon is a Second Lieutenant in ROTC and is described as “the go-to girl” in the area of civic service. She has logged over 200 hours of community service this year. This is in addition to working a part-time job at Meijer’s Department Store.
She was accompanied by her mother Amy Crawford and is the youngest in her family with three brothers and three sisters.
Cawthon plans to attend Indiana University Northwest to study Criminal Justice. She is enlisted in the National Guard, where she hopes to be a Logistic Specialist. Eventually, she would like to work for the DNR or Homeland Security.
Desiré Rodriguez is in ROTC, National Honor Society and captain of the Spelling Team. She was a delegate of Hoosier Girls State and runner-up in Portage High School’s Distinguished Young Woman’s Scholarship Program. She is a member of Choraliers, the high school’s show choir. She is a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club and a Youth Leader at Real Life Community Church.
Rodriguez plans to attend IU Bloomington as part of the Group Scholars Program. She will major in Accounting and either go into accounting or go to law school with plans to eventually become an FBI agent.
Her mother, Linda Valdez was unable to attend the meeting.
Rodriguez was selected as the Portage Exchange Club’s Student of the Year and will attend the May 16 Annual Convention of the Northern Indiana District to compete against other club’s local winners for District Student of the Year.