Maria Costante and Mallory Lowery were chosen as student members of the Rotary Club for January. They represented the Chandler High School senior class at the service club’s weekly meetings.
Maria is the daughter of Vincent Costante and Adriana Costante and has a 10-year-old brother.
She has prepared for life after high school by taking advanced placement classes for three out of her four years of high school. She has also taken collegelevel algebra and a class in forensics.
Maria has given back to the community by helping with the annual pancake breakfast at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and volunteering at the food bank. She participated in Wise Guys/Girl Power encouraging younger students to make positive choices.
After graduation from high school, she plans to study meteorology or forensic science at either the University of Oklahoma in Norman or the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
Maria realized the satisfaction of putting others before herself when she helped an older man pay for his meal. She was in line at a fast food restaurant and noticed the man in front of her did not have enough money to pay for his meal.
Although knowing it would keep her from getting everything she wanted, she offered to pay for the remaining portion of the man’s order. He initially refused her offer but she convinced him that she wanted to do it.
While finishing up the things she had planned to do before going home, the incident stayed in Maria’s thoughts. Knowing she had made an impact for good in a stranger’s life, she felt good about herself and continues to realize that putting service above self is worth it.
Mallory, the daughter of Michael Lowery and Emily Baker, has one older brother and a younger stepsister and stepbrother.
She was chosen to participate in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp and spent two weeks in Japan as part of the Wings of Rotary, a short-term youth cultural and education exchange program.
In preparation for life after high school, she takes concurrent college classes and has taken advanced placement classes in English for four years.
She plans to complete basic college courses at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., or at UCO before earning a degree in psychology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
Mallory has experienced putting service above self in many ways including through her involvement in extracurricular activities. During her trip to Japan, she was able to connect with the Japanese people and share with them the greatness of America. In turn, she had the privilege of learning things about Japan that she could share with others when she returned home.
She enjoyed being able to help and influence her peers in a positive way through her participation in Postponing Sexual Involvement and Positive Peers, two organizations that encourage students to be the best person they can be.
Mallory’s volunteer work through Relay for Life and the Chandler Ice Cream Festival showed her that the right attitude while serving is important. She believes that just by being kind, a person can help change the world. Her experiences have made her want to be involved in more things in the future.