Youth of the Week: Rowan

The Cattaraugus County Youth Bureau is pleased to announce that this week's featured Youth of the Week is Rowan Brown. Rowan is the daughter of Sara Zaprowski and Colby Brown and is a senior at Salamanca High School. 

Rowan was nominated by her school counselor, who shared, "Rowan overall is a tremendous student and is involved in many extracurricular activities. She participates in Arts Alive and Salamanca Student Activists, helps out at the Ray Evans Theatre, and volunteers at the Youth Center (where she painted a mural). She is also on the newspaper and is the editor in chief, and she is a school funding lobbyist."

Rowan is an active volunteer whose contributions reflect her creativity, leadership, and commitment to her community. For the past two summers, she has participated in Arts Alive, painting theater sets, building props, and supervising children. Within the past year, she has also volunteered at the Ray Evans Theatre, assisting with painting sets and creating props for productions. Notably, Rowan approached the Salamanca Youth Bureau this past summer with the idea of painting a mural for its facility. Her idea was embraced, and in less than a week, she  completed a mural that now serves as a lasting contribution to the Youth Bureau.

Within Salamanca High School, Rowan is extensively involved in extracurricular activities, particularly those centered around the arts. She participates in both band and chorus, playing the trombone and singing alto. A longtime member of the Drama Club, she has contributed her talents as both an actress and costume creator. Rowan has also served as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, where she wrote and edited articles and designed the publication's layout.

Rowan has also demonstrated leadership through her involvement in numerous school organizations. She currently serves as president of the Student Council and secretary of the National Honor Society. Previously, she served as junior class president and has held the positions of president, vice-president, and secretary of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. She has also served as youth lobbyist, traveling to Albany, New York, and Washington, D.C., where she has spoken with government officials to advocate for increased funding for youth centers and schools.

For the past two years, Rowan has participated in Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition. During that time, she has helped her team earn second place at the state championships twice, qualify as world finalists twice, and achieve an impressive fourth-place finish at the world championship level. Additionally, Rowan has volunteered as a coach for unified bocce ball, supporting inclusive athletic opportunities for students.

Academically, Rowan has earned numerous honors recognizing her achievements and talents. Among these are the English/Media Award, the St. Bonaventure Communication Day Best Writing Award, and the Salamanca High School Academic Achievement Award. She was also recognized through the College Board National Recognition Program for scoring among the top 10% of students from rural schools on the SAT. 

Outside of her school and volunteer commitments, Rowan continues to enjoy a wide variety of creative and intellectual pursuits. Her interests include medieval art and cultural revival, romantic poetry, puppet building, costume creation, film, music theory, music history, and art history. 

Looking toward the future, Rowan plans to attend a university offering an open curriculum, where she hopes to study art history, fine arts, or medieval studies and ultimately earn a master's degree. Her career goal is to become a historical researcher or museum curator, combining her love of history, art, and learning. Congratulations, Rowan!

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