The theme for the 2016-17 Rotary year is “Rotary Serving Humanity” which also was the topic for this year’s Four Way Test Speech Contest. Competing in the contest were Karen Thai from Arcadia High School and Monrovia High School’s Daisy Garcia.

Karen asked us to stop seeing the world in a negative light. She urged us to stop complaining and to start doing. Being optimistic gives people a positive outlook. She decided that volunteering was her way to work together for a common goal to improve the world. Volunteering has had a positive effect on her life and she recommended it to all.

Daisy also extolled the values of volunteering. She related her experiences working with children at the Monrovia Library. She encourages other students to take up volunteering as a means to serve humanity as well as giving a person self-satisfaction.

After deliberation, the panel of judges determined Karen Thai the winner meaning she would move on to compete in the District Contest in Palm Springs later this year.