In addition to attending Aiken High School, where he is a senior, Matty Avendano has two jobs.
He works at two restaurants — The New Moon Café and Dunkin' — to earn the money he will need to cover the cost of continuing his education.
On Monday, Avendano was among the 23 students who each received a $7,500 scholarship from the Rotary Club of Aiken during a luncheon at Newberry Hall.
“Tuition isn’t like super cheap unless you go to a community college,” he said. “This is really helpful.”
Avendano also thanked his father for pushing him to develop a strong work ethic.
“I definitely wouldn’t be here today without him,” he said.
Prior to accepting his check, Avendano talked about his busy schedule.
“I get out [of school] at 11:35 [a.m.] on most days and 11 o’clock on Wednesdays,” he said. “Every weekend I’m at New Moon on both days, and then I work most [of the other] days at Dunkin'.
“I do school work when I get home, and I study in the morning before school,” he added.
Avendano is planning to attend Wofford College in Spartanburg and major in biology.
“I want to become a psychiatrist,” he said. “I think it’s an undersupplied field. I don’t see a ton of people thinking they want to go into psychiatry. It’s very intriguing to me. I believe mental health is important.”
The Rotary scholarship recipients also included Sydney Green, who said she knows Avendano because she is a former Dunkin' employee.
Green was a member of the South Aiken High School girls’ volleyball team that captured the Class AAAA state championship last fall.
The Beta Club and National Honor Society member wants to major in early childhood education and minor in psychology at the College of Charleston.
“I plan to be an elementary school teacher,” said Green, who also would like to earn a masters’ degree in education.
She told the Rotarians that her involvement in a reading program for students at Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School “sparked” her passion for teaching.
“I realized I loved the idea of working with kids,” Green said.
The Rotary Club’s scholarship program provides financial aid for graduating students who live in and/or attend a school in the Aiken County Public School District’s Area 1.
The total value of the scholarships awarded this year was $172,500.
The amount included $100,000 from the Albrecht Educational Trust and $55,000 from the Rotary Club.
Other donors included The Gifting Tree Foundation ($7,500) and Linda and Carl Strojan ($7,500).
Donors in the $2,500 to $3,000 category were Lyddie and Charlie Hansen and Brenda and Dan Zaloudek.
For more information about the Rotary Club and its scholarship program, visit aikenrotary.com.
Rotary scholarship winners
Aiken High School: Matty Avendano, Karly Bouchillon, Rebecca Bindewald, Zachary Coleman, Caitlyn Denny, Elizabeth Huerta, Zy’Karian Leaverette, Mackenzie Lucas, Lydia McGhee, Kristin Qiu, Zoe Walker and Cristen Walthour.
Aiken Scholars Academy: Richard Hutto, Olivia O’Shields, James Saxon and Lukas Willard.
Fox Creek High School: Delaney Campbell.
Mead Hall Episcopal School: Piper Barth.
South Aiken High School: Sophia Afamefuna, Sydney Green, Damaris Guillen, Kyataria Miller and Antonio Taylor.
