Elif Cetinkaya of Potsdam, daughter of Çetin and Gülfer Çetinkaya, was awarded the "Potsdam Rotary Scholarship Sponsored by Brookfield Renewable U.S." at the Potsdam High School Senior Awards Night in June. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a Potsdam High School senior pursuing higher education who exemplifies the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self."
Elif Cetinkaya, a 2025 graduate of Potsdam High School and The Clarkson School pre-college program, is a sophomore at Binghamton University studying biochemistry on the pre-med track.
She participated in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and is a St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau Ambassador. Cetinkaya aspires to become a physician, combining her passion for science and her dedication to serving others.
“Thank you to the Potsdam Rotary Club and Brookfield Renewable U.S. for their generous support,” said Cetinkaya. “I am honored to have been selected as the recipient. Potsdam Rotary and its members’ leadership are important pillars of the community. Thank you for this support of my future education.”
Brookfield Renewable U.S. partners with hundreds of charities, investing in community projects across the United States.
"Brookfield is pleased to be working with Potsdam Rotary in making this scholarship available to a student who shows so much promise, like Elif," says Brookfield Renewable U.S. Stakeholder Relations Manager Mark Luciano. "We are very proud to support opportunities for the enterprising students of today that will be joining our workforce tomorrow! Congratulations to Elif! We wish her much success in all her future endeavors."
In addition to this scholarship, Potsdam Rotary and Brookfield Renewable U.S. sponsor a monthly Vocational Excellence Award for BOCES students as well as end-of-the-year awards to a student in each BOCES program.
"Potsdam Rotary is grateful to Brookfield Renewable U.S. for supporting this important scholarship," says Rotary President Christina DeLorenzo. "We look forward to a continuing partnership with them in the future and wish Elif a fulfilling college experience.