Jena Eberspacher Named September Youth Rotarian
Launch the media gallery 1 playerSHS Senior, Jena Eberspacher of rural Seward was named the 2024 September Seward Rotary Club’s Youth Rotarian at the recent September 18th noon Rotary Club luncheon meeting held at the Jones Bank Auditorium. She is the daughter of Jon and Jill Eberspacher.
Jena places scholarship high in her values and enjoys as 3.93 GPA on a 4.0 scale. She is a longtime member of the SHS Honor Roll and has enjoyed dual credits in Human Geography, United States History, Environmental Science, Marketing, College Algebra, Education, Public Speaking and Ag Intro-all through SCC, Concordia University or Doane. She received the “All State” Academic Award and was a Ne Youth Salute Scholarship Winner. She has been the recipient of the P.R.I.D.E. Awards many times and the Intentionally Selected P.R.I.D.E. Award winner twice. She is a member of the SHS Quiz Bowl Team.
Jena is a very involved young woman at Seward High with many, varied interests. She was recently elected the State President of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and has been a member of FBLA for four years, serving as the Chapter President and Secretary and co-chair for many of the SHS Chapter Committees and Activities. She was named the FBLA All Sate Quality Member and qualified for nationals in the Social Media Strategies Competition -placing Third. She is a member of the FBLA National Board of Directors and travels the state and now even the nation to promote FBLA and Nebraska. Jena was selected the SHS FBLA Member of the Month
She also has a strong Ag tie and very involved with the local FFA Chapter. She served on the SHS FFA Board as the Chapter Reporter and won the FFA Greenhand Degree. She was an FFA District Runner-up and FFA District Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking and qualified as a State FFA Extemporaneous Speaker as well. She chaired many FFA local projects and served as a voice for FFA in the Bluejay Leadership Team (Student Council).
Jena has also been an involved and dedicated member of the SHS Skills USA Chapter, the SHS Family, Community, Career Leaders of America (SHS FCCLA), Key Club and the SHS Ambassadors, a member of the Mixed Choir at SHS, as well as the SHS Honor Choir.
She has participated in a variety of sporting activities over the years, involved in Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer (lettered twice) and Varsity Golf (lettered twice). She was named State Honorable Mention for Soccer Goalie in 2024.
In the community, Jena has a variety of activities she points to as assisting in her development, including membership in 4-H and 4-H Junior Leaders programs. She has a ten-year affiliation with her 4-H membership and been involved in a host of 4-H activities over the years at the County Fair and in the community. She was also very involved with Girl Scouts and served as a helper for the Summer Horizon’s Program at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward.
She is a youth leader and youth voice in her church, a member of their God Parent Program and taught Vacation Bible School and Sunday School and served as the Photographer and Videographer for the Seward United Methodist Summer Bible School for ages 5-6.
Jena has been employed and worked as a pollinator in the fields and served as a Nanny for three children. She has been employed as a Coffee Barista at the local Scooters Coffee shop and helps at the family farm when time permits.
Her community service includes membership in the “100 Club”-one hundred hours of documented community service (in fact Jena has logged 321.5 hours of community service in her high school career to date!).She is a volunteer coach for the Seward Lighting Volleyball team, a volunteer SMS Volleyball Coach, has participated as a volunteer coach in a host of girls’ sport camps and involved in numerous clean-up efforts with 4-H and FFA. In fact, many of her community service hours revolve around the local SHS FBLA, FFA, Skills USA, Key Club and Leadership Team community service activities, as well as her involvement with 4-H and her church and their outreach and educational efforts.
She plans to be involved in some type of Ag Business in the future and has left the specifics “wide open” and will decide once the time comes and she has not decided on a college or university to attend next fall to date.
Jena was recognized at the Rotary Club meeting and presented with a Rotary banner, a bag of Rotary and Seward Promotional material and a Seward Gift card to assist with her college expenses. She is a finalist for the Seward Youth Rotarian of the Year and will be honored again at the May SHS Honors Night. Youth Rotarians are selected each month of the school year at SHS and applications are available with the SHS Counselors.