Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle presents a Distinguished Student of Service award to LAHS student Suchir Jha, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos as his father, Ramesh Jha, shares the moment with LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht, October 6, at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by James Wernicke

BY VINCENT CHIRAVALLE
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

The motto of Rotary is Service Above Self. To support this motto in each academic year, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos honors “Distinguished Students of Service” in their junior year of high school. Students are first nominated by their teachers who are asked to select those who:

 Have given positive contributions to their high school and/or in the community;
 Have a good attitude toward learning;
 Are good citizens, are respectful of their peers and teachers; and
 Have good grades, attendance and classroom participation.

The Club then selects students based on demonstrated spirit of service and exemplification of the Rotary 4 Way Test:

 Is it the truth?
 Is it fair to all concerned?
 Will it build good will and better friendships?
 Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

On October 6 the Rotary Club of Los Alamos presented Suchir Jha, a Los Alamos High School student with a Distinguished Student of Service award. Suchir is indeed one who has made service part of his life and he is a very well- rounded student. Suchir is a member of the Science Bowl, Key Club, Youth and GOV, and the Tennis team. He is also a member of the Speech and Debate team, where he is a 2-time National Qualifier and achieved 9 tournament placements, as well being part of the Olympiad where he won 1st place at the regional competition and was a National Qualifier. In addition to these activities Suchir is a teacher’s assistant, a board member for the LIFELINE event in New Mexico, and a Diwali Celebration host, while also volunteering at a food drive and the PEEC Youth group.

Suchir shared with the Club one of the challenges facing today’s youth; namely substance misuse, especially opioid overdoses. In his essay Suchir describes how as a board member for the LIFELINE event in New Mexico, he helped organize an initiative that gave Narcan to more than 190 students at the high school:

“Narcan is a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. It stands for more than just a medical tool; it shows that we are prepared, aware, and willing to look out for each other. Effective service does not simply respond to problems after they occur; it anticipates risk and equips individuals with the tools to intervene early. Whether through scaling harm-reduction initiatives like Narcan distribution, increasing student-led training programs, or advocating for
wider access to overdose prevention resources in schools, I am committed to creating environments where young people are both supported and empowered. Community service, to me, is not defined by the number hours completed, but by the lives impacted.

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos feels that this is a very worthy effort and commends Suchir for his service to the youth in Los Alamos.

When receiving the award Suchir was joined by his father Ramesh Jha and LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht who nominated him for the award. Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle conducted the award ceremony.