Amanda Mercer was honored at a recent Rotary Club meeting as April Student of the Month. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comROTARY News:
Amanda Mercer, a junior at Los Alamos High School, was recently honored as Rotary Student of the Month for April.
Mercer is the daughter of Nancy Jo Nicholas and David Mercer and sister of Emily.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos selects one student each month of the school year to honor as a Student of the Month. In addition to high school seniors, juniors are now eligible for the recognition. Students are nominated by their teachers and chosen on the basis of their academic achievement, extra-curricular activities and in particular, their service to the community.
An outstanding student, Mercer is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as Key Club, the high school service and leadership organization sponsored by Kiwanis International.
In addition to participating annually in science fair competitions, Mercer serves as a student representative on the board of directors of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center and is president of the LAHS International Club.
Mercer has found a place in her life for sports, particularly running. She has participated in the Jemez Half-Marathon, the Caldera Half-Marathon, and the YMCA High-Altitude Half-Marathon, and runs the Bolder Boulder 10K race every year on Memorial Day in Colorado.
Not surprisingly, Mercer is a member of both the Varsity Cross-Country and Track and Field teams, representing these sports as a team captain on the high school’s Captain’s Table, a sports leadership club. Whenever possible, Mercer enjoys being outdoors, involved in hiking, biking, and gardening.
Medicine is one of Mercer’s many interests, and she finds volunteering in physical therapy at the Los Alamos Medical Center particularly fulfilling. She hopes to pursue a career as a pediatrician.
In addition to her mother, Mercer was joined at the awards ceremony by LAHS AP psychology teacher Lynn Ovaska, whom Mercer selected as the teacher who has had the most positive influence on her life.
As a part of Rotary International, the oldest and largest service organization in the world with more than 1.2 million members, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos gratefully acknowledges the contributions Students of the Month and their families make to our community, a principle reflected in the organization’s motto, Service Above Self.
