The Pittsburgh Rotary Club honored Shady Side Academy senior Alison Linares Mendoza as its Student of Distinction for January 2019 at the club's monthly luncheon, held on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Omni William Penn Hotel.

Linares Mendoza was recognized for her efforts to contribute to her community in ways that reflect the Rotary Club's motto of "Service Above Self." She was accompanied to the luncheon by SSA College Counselor Lucas Frankel.

Linares Mendoza tutors elementary students in reading and math on Saturday mornings through the SSA-Urban Pathways Charter School tutoring partnership and is part of the Service Learning Club's leadership team that organizes blood drives, holiday gift drives for needy children, welcome bags for new students and more. Last summer, she was one of only six SSA students to receive a Parkin Fellowship, traveling to Spain to work with the Altius Foundations and Italy to teach students English. She also represents Shady Side as a student ambassador.

"Alison Linares Mendoza arrived at Shady Side Academy as a junior, and our community was immediately strengthened in every facet," said Frankel in his introduction of her at the Rotary luncheon. "We are extremely lucky to have Alison on campus, and it seems hard to remember Shady Side before her presence."

The mission of the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh is to ensure that every young person in the city has an opportunity to succeed. The Student of Distinction program is a partnership of Rotary and a number of local secondary schools through which outstanding senior students are honored for outstanding performance in both academics and community service. The club honors one Student of Distinction each month. The recipient must have an excellent record of community/school service in addition to a strong academic record.

Congratulations, Alison!