Weisbarth Memorial Award recipients named

NEWPORT - Karina Page Rousseau and Roxann Wrynn were selected as the 2024 Michelene (Micki) Weisbarth Memorial Award recipients presented by the Soroptimist Society.

Born and raised in Newport, Rouseau is the mother of two boys, ages 10 and 5. She is a proud graduate of the Newport School District, where she earned her high school diploma and a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in 2013. After graduation, she continued her studies, completing her nursing degree in 2016, and worked at a surgical center in Spokane. She chose to return to Newport after nine years away to buy a home and raise her children in the community.

Since the age of 13, Rouseau dreamed of becoming a mortician. She is currently attending Des Moines University, working on her degree in Mortuary Science, and has served as a funeral director with Sherman- Campbell Funeral Home for the past two years. Completing this degree will provide Rouseau with her embalming license, making her not just a funeral director but a mortician.

Roxann Wrynn is a senior at Newport High School and this year’s valedictorian. She is an active member of her community, participating in student government, National Honor Society, and the Yearbook committee, while also working at the public library. Wrynn enjoyed playing saxophone in her high school pep and concert bands. Her dedication to maintaining straight A’s throughout high school has earned her the top spot in the class of 2024. Outside of school, Wrynn can be found crocheting, drawing, or reading while listening to her favorite music. She was also honored as this year’s February Soroptimist Girl of the Month.

Wrynn is honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Newport community.

She would like to thank her parents for their support, her friends for always being there, and her teachers for being an inspiration. Wrynn will attend the University of Washington in Seattle to earn her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. After completing a teaching degree, she looks forward to becoming a high school chemistry teacher.

The Micki O’Neill Weisbarth Memorial Award was established in 2022 to support women who have financial need and who are pursuing their education. Through generous donations, this annual award will help recipients by helping offset tuition costs or to assist with day-to-day expenses so they can focus on reaching their dreams.

The Michelene (Micki) O’Neill Weisbarth Memorial Award honors the late Michelene “Micki’ Weisbarth by investing in the education of women. Weisbarth joined the local Newport chapter in December of 1990 and quickly was elected president, then district officer, and eventually Northwestern Region Secretary. Weisbarth touched and impacted so many lives around her. Her favorite projects were the Live Your Dream Scholarship program and the local annual crab feed fundraiser. She served as local chairperson of the Live Your Dream award for multiple years as well as serving at the region level.

Weisbarth was involved in many areas of the community she loved. Her dedication to the Soroptimist mission both nationally and with the Newport chapter is a wonderful example of how one person can make a difference in the lives of so many.

For more information and events, follow us on Facebook at Soroptimist International of Newport (@siofnewport) or check out our website at www. siofnewport.com.

For information on how you can donate to the Michelene (Micki) O’Neill Weisbarth Memorial Award fund or apply for the Award, contact Terri Miller, Treasurer, siofnewport@ gmail.com.