Rotary Student of the Month

Rodger Zawodniak is humbled to have the opportunity to represent his school and community as one of two Rotary Students of the Month for October. A senior at Marquette Catholic High School, Rodger has made a significant impact through community service, leadership roles, and a myriad of extracurricular activities. He has been a vital member of the Marquette Interact Club, serving as President during both junior and senior years. Rodger led numerous community service projects, including a resource drive for the Oasis Women’s Shelter, which yielded over 1,500 donated items. Among other initiatives, he organized a school-wide basketball tournament to raise money for Missions International. His involvement spans a wide range of activities to include over 400 hours of community service. Rodger is active in the Student Council, having served as both Treasurer and Class President. He is also the Service Officer of the National Honor Society, President of Campus Ministry, School Sacristan, and a Young Adult Student Representative with the Riverbend Growth Association. He competes in the ACES Academic Competition, serves on Senator Harriss’s Fall Youth Advisory Board, and is the student leader for Marquette’s new community and house system. For his qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism, Rodger was honored with both the DAR Good Citizen & Youth Citizenship Awards. 

Rodger has gained valuable experience through programs like Illinois Boys State, where he was elected to the Boys State House of Representatives and awarded the ‘Keith Lucas Model Citizen Award’. He also participated in both the USMA Summer Leadership Experience at West Point as well as the Naval Academy Summer Seminar where he was awarded the USNA Summer Leadership Award. Academically, Rodger has consistently achieved high honors. He excels in numerous Advanced Placement courses, earning the prestigious AP Scholar with Honor Award. As a National Merit Commended Student, Rodger demonstrates exceptional performance on standardized tests, achieving a score of 31 on the ACT and 1460 on the SAT. Athletically, Rodger has made a mark as a leader on both the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, serving as captain in his junior and senior years. With a passion for running, he is currently training to run his first half marathon. In his free time, Rodger enjoys exercising, playing the piano, and spending time with friends. After high school, Rodger hopes to attend either the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, West Point, or the Naval Academy. He plans to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering on the pre-medicine track, with the ultimate goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. He aims to combine his interests in engineering and healthcare to make a lasting impact in the medical field by improving the lives of patients through innovative solutions and compassionate care. Rodger would like to extend heartfelt thanks to his family, friends, teachers, and mentors for their support and guidance. He also expresses his gratitude to the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club for their commitment to supporting and inspiring the next generation of leaders and problem solvers.