Kiwanis, Rotary Club award scholarships
Published 9:30 am Thursday, June 18, 2026
Local service clubs Kiwanis of Federal Way and the Federal Way Rotary Club awarded scholarships to several Federal Way scholars.
Kiwanis awards
Kiwanis of Federal Way is pleased to announce the following high school Key Club seniors as the recipients of the 2026 “Dennis Hulse Memorial” Key Club Scholarship. Each senior is receiving $2,000 toward the college of their choice.
Aisha Ahsari, from Federal Way High School, is the Key Club Webmaster. She is active in AVID and is a Dari-speaking member of the Afghanistan and Muslim Clubs. Ahsari plans on attending the University of Washington and majoring in Business Administration.
Anthony (Mell) Dang, from Thomas Jefferson High School, is the “backbone of his Key Club’s communications.” He is a “fashion icon of TJ,” is involved in photography and graphic design, along with the Vietnamese Student Union. Dang plans on attending Highline College and majoring in Business Management.
Diana Favela Lopez, from Decatur High School, is an “extraordinary athlete and leader,” involved with volunteering at MSC, Centerstage, Federal Way Community Center and Sunnycrest Elementary School where she supports a bilingual class (60% Spanish). Lopez plans on attending University of Washington and majoring in Architecture.
The Key Club Scholarship is named after the late, long-standing and beloved member and past Kiwanis President Mr. Dennis Hulse who passed away in 2021.
Hulse believed that young people are our future and he always believed that Kiwanis can change the world one child and one community at a time, said scholarship chairperson Karen Brugato in a press release.
Rotary Club awards
This year marks the 40th Annual Scholarship Awards by the Federal Way Rotary Club. This year, Rotarians presented $20,000 in scholarships to 16 scholars from Federal Way Public Schools.
Twelve recipients, along with their schools and intended areas of study, are listed below:
Amanuel Endale (TAF @ Saghalie) – Computer Science
Daiya Fashaw (TAF @ Saghalie) – Nursing
Laniyah Ezell (Decatur High School) – Anthropology
Diana Favela Lopez (Decatur High School) – Architecture
Scarlett Vanderhoff (Decatur High School/PSSC) – Zoology
Sarah Al Maschayekhy (Todd Beamer High School) – Fashion
Hadiah Armani (Todd Beamer High School) – Nursing
Matthew Bustamante (Todd Beamer High School) – English/Law
Omar De La O (Todd Beamer High School) – Electrician
Da’Riyah Dunlap (Todd Beamer Hish School & RYLA alum) – Psychiatry
Trevor Johnson (Todd Beamer High School) – Public Service
Bahara Sahibzada (Todd Beamer High School) – Psychology
Additionally, four named scholarships were awarded. The Al Vaux Memorial Scholarship was presented by his daughter, Karen Vaux Speery, to Marianna Chhim of Todd Beamer High School, who intends to study Psychology.
The Dr. Robert McKenzie Jr. Memorial Scholarship was presented by his son, Bobby McKenzie, to Dominic Flügstad ofTodd Beamer High School, who intends to study Kinesiology and Marketing.
The Columbia Bank Scholarship was presented by Rotarian Jeannie Johnson, Columbia Bank, to Jayden Ford of Federal Way High School, who intends to study Art and Business.
The Monna Lux Memorial Scholarship was presented by her husband, Rotarian A. Robert E. Thomson, to Eliot Kwan of Decatur High School, who intends to study Entrepreneurship.
