Two seniors selected for the 78th Annual Rotary Club Outstanding Youth Awards

On September 30, Zach Fine ‘17 and Victoria Padovan ‘17 were two of 15 local students from eight St. Petersburg area public and private high schools that were selected for the 78th Annual Rotary Club Outstanding Youth Awards, an honor that distinguishes high school seniors who go above and beyond their duty to the community.

Zach Fine ‘17, who began attending Farragut in PreK, is active in Tampa Bay Watch, PARC, the Red Cross, and several beach clean-ups. He participated in the St. Joseph’s Summer Hospital Internship Program and the Naval Academy Summer Seminar this past summer. At Farragut, he is involved in a plethora of activities including DECA, National Honor Society, Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Academic Team, Red Cross Service Club, and the Future Business Leaders of America. He has demonstrated his leadership skills as Bravo Battalion Commander while earning Radford Stars for excellence in academics, extracurricular, and department. He helped the boys track team secure its first state title in school history last year and has been an integral part of the basketball and swim team over the past three years. This year, he has helped spearhead the newly initiated Battalion Wars in which the three different battalions compete against each other in various events throughout the school year.

He is most proud of having starting the DECA chapter at Farragut. DECA, originally known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an international association of high school and college students and teachers that was created in 1946 as a way for students to prepare themselves in leadership roles in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. The Farragut chapter competed in DECA’s industry-validated events in Orlando, Gainesville and Tallahassee throughout the 2015-16 school year.

“Being able to implement DECA and the Future Business Leaders of America has been a great learning experience for me and everyone involved,” said Zach, who plans to attend college either at Duke University, Wake Forest or the U.S. Naval Academy.

“It’s been great to see the way the students here have responded to new ideas like that. Going to the events has allowed us to learn how others think and interact with like-minded individuals.”

In addition, Zach has played a large role in getting the Battalion Wars started. “It’s a great thing for the school because it has created the type of camaraderie we’ve needed here at the school. Seeing everyone get excited about it and get into it has been pretty special.” Zach plans to attend college at either Duke University, Wake Forest or the U.S. Naval Academy.

Victoria Padovan ‘17, who began attending Farragut in the third grade, is active as a volunteer at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital where she works in the play center every Saturday. She served as a community service volunteer in Costa Rica and she played a large role in starting the Red Cross Club at Farragut. She worked as a counselor during the summer camps at Farragut while also participating in the Leadership Academy held on campus. Besides her role as president of the Red Cross Club, Victoria also participates in the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, cross country, and soccer. This year, she was promoted to Lieutenant and is the Bravo Battalion Executive Officer. Upon graduation, she plans to attend the University of Florida. She anticipates seeking a career in the field of medicine. “For some reason, I’ve always been intrigued by medicine,” said Victoria.

“Working at All Children’s has really helped me hone in on what I’d like to do. If it all works out, I would thrive on working in the emergency room setting, hopefully as a doctor.”