|
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | |
| By Beth Allen Brentwood Press Drew Rozner has been recycling cans to raise the tuition he needs for his trip to Australia this summer as a student ambassador. Drew Rozner is a busy young man. The Freedom High School freshman maintains a 3.5 GPA, is active on the water polo and swim team, participates in GATE, volunteers as an explorer for the Contra Costa Search and Rescue Team, and in his spare time enjoys photography. The 14-year-old Oakley resident is also counting the days to his trip to Australia this summer as a student ambassador, and is saving every penny and organizing fund-raisers to cover the tuition cost. Not that he minds. “If I wasn’t putting forth effort then I wouldn’t be getting to do all this good stuff,” said Drew. “If you try, you can do anything. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but when I look at what I am doing, I feel great.” It all started with an invitation in September for an interview with People to People, a program created by President Eisenhower in 1956 to immerse students in the arts, sports and family life of cultures around the world. Selected as one of 34 delegates from California, Drew will spend 18 days with fellow students and chaperones touring three of the four territories in Australia. |
|
“I’ve always wanted to go to Australia,” said Drew. “One thing that really got me interested in Australia was the Crocodile Hunter. I used to watch that show all the time.” And he hopes to be living the show with his trusty camera. “I like being able to capture a moment forever, because sometimes when you look back, the memory can be hazy,” said Drew. Part of the trip includes a four-day stay with an Australian family. “We’ve been told that when we go to Australia, we are going to be the ones with accents,” chuckled Drew, “and people are going to ask us to say words because it sounds funny to them.” While his parents offered to pay for the trip, Drew insisted on raising the money himself through sponsorships, collecting recyclables from nearby families and several businesses, doing a fund-raiser with Outback Steak House in Pittsburg, winning $100 in a photography contest and participating in a garage sale on March 31 at Vintage Parkway Elementary School. “It has been amazing how much support he has gotten from residents and businesses in Oakley,” said Tammy, his mother. “Raising the money has been a real learning experience for him. He’s never liked to ask people for things.” Drew has already raised $1,800 and has until April 15 to raise the rest. “I’m definitely being productive with my time,” he said, “and I’m having a great time.” “I know that a lot of teenagers his age are going down the wrong path,” said Tammy. “Now is the time they have to make decisions to decide their future, and Drew has been working so hard at his. I am really proud of him.” “I feel so lucky,” said Drew. “I can’t wait to go.” |
|
