Morgan Moreno named Rotary Club Student of the Month

MINOOKA – Minooka Community High School senior Morgan Moreno, daughter of Jodie Johnston and Paul Moreno of Shorewood, recently was named the Channahon-Minooka Rotary Club Student of the Month for March.

In the classroom, Moreno maintains a 4.8 GPA (weighted). Her academic accolades include being named a national AP Scholar for 2020, being recognized through the College Board’s national Hispanic Recognition Program for 2020, serving as a Yale Young Global Scholars ambassador, being named a 2021 regional finalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program, earning a certificate of completion with distinction through the UCLA Summer College Immersion Program, being recognized as MCHS Student of the Term in 2018, being a MCHS scholar athlete in 2018 and 2019, participating in the 2020 National Student Leadership Conference and participating in the 2019 IHSA Student Leadership Conference.

Outside the classroom, Moreno was a member of the varsity diving team in her sophomore year and varsity cheer team during her freshman year. She also has participated in extracurriculars as the co-founder and Leader of Allies in Diversity Club, president of Interact Club (treasurer since 11th grade; member since 10th grade), president of Spanish National Honor Society (member since 11th grade), vice president of National Honor Society (member since 11th grade), Math Team member since 9th grade and Equity and Diversity Committee member.

“Through the development of my nonprofit organization Gifting for Thrifting and through my involvement in the Interact Club, SNHS and NHS at school, I have discovered my love for philanthropy and service.” Moreno said. “I have been fortunate enough to witness the impact of service firsthand and I can wholeheartedly say that it is what keeps the world spinning. The kindness that people can exhibit toward each other within a community through lending a helping hand is so powerful.

“I was taught at a very young age that anyone and everyone can make a difference in their community and the world. Then, when I was trying to bring Gifting for Thrifting alive in 2018, I had to overcome challenges that came with being a young girl who was trying to do ‘adult things.’ Some people did not take my best friend Alaina [Frazier] and I seriously when we sought support for our idea of creating pop-up thrift stores to give our community access to free clothing. Some adults thought we were in over our heads. Since 2018, Gifting for Thrifting has helped thousands of families by providing them with free clothing. Additionally, we have brought our whole community together to make a difference. Two teenage girls did this. I want young people all over the world to know that you are never too young to do big things. You are never too young to make a big difference in the world.”

Moreno plans to continue her education after graduation in May by majoring in international relations, international business or economics. Moreno already has been accepted to Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, UNC Chapel Hill, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and University of California Irvine, to name a few. Her career ambition is to become the CEO of an international nonprofit organization and eventually expand her own nonprofit, Gifting for Thrifting, globally.