Kaley Muller is the recipient of a Rotary Club of Los Alamos Great Expectations Award. Courtesy photo

BY LINDA HULL
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos is pleased to announce that Kaley Muller has been selected as one of its two 2020 Great Expectations Award recipients. The honor carries an award of $2,000 and is given to well-rounded high school seniors whose futures are deemed especially promising. Traditionally the awards are presented during the Los Alamos High School Convocation at the end of May. We regret that public health precautions prevent us for applauding these graduating seniors in person! 

Muller has provided significant community service to Los Alamos by organizing Paws for Books, a book drive in which she and a friend partnered with the Los Alamos Animal Shelter and the African Library Project (ALP) to encourage young students to love literature. Students were encouraged to build confidence and interest in reading by reading aloud to their pets. Members of the community were also encouraged to donate to the animal shelter and ALP. “The project was a way to emphasize the educational opportunities we are all blessed to have access to, such as literature.” The project was extremely successful. Donations made to the ALP included covering costs for any needed book repair and for shipping the age-appropriate books to children in Africa. 

In addition to sharing the love of reading with others, Muller has shared her enthusiasm for varsity cheerleading with her teammates for three years and is currently the captain of the team. She also is an award-winning member of DECA, the high school organization for students with career interests in marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality, and management. Muller is an active competitor in trap and skeet shooting, and is a familiar face behind the counter to customers of Blue Window Bistro, Ruby K.’s Bagel Shop, and Fleur de Lys. 

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos commends Muller for her community service and wishes her only the best as she pursues her social work studies at New Mexico Highlands University. 

Muller is the daughter of Amanda Leibee. She was highly recommended for this award by Los Alamos High School health teacher Elizabeth Bowden.