Records were smashed and glass ceilings were shattered when Geraldine Rurenga was elected as the youngest Rotary district governor in the region's history.
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The 29-year-old is one of the few female district governors in the history of rotary, which only started allowing women into their ranks about 30 years ago.
However Miss Rurenga is keen to shake things up within rotary and persuade more women and young people to come on board as Rotarians.
"A big part of what we do is community service, and if you're going to serve the community you need to be representative of the community and have a more diverse demographic," Miss Rurenga said.
"Because my club is so diverse I've really benefited from all the different mentors I've had, and I'd like to turn that around and put the opportunity out to more young people."
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Miss Rurenga will have a lot on her plate by the time she takes up the reins, with Wagga's rotary district merging with Canberra's rotary district this year to form one super district comprising of around 80 clubs.
However Miss Rurenga is no stranger to leadership roles, being the Educational Designer at Charles Sturt University and having previously served as the president of the Murrumbidgee Rotary Club in Wagga.
Since her early 20s Miss Rurenga has been a stalwart member and energetic volunteer for the Murrumbidgee Rotary, which promotes diversity as one of its strong suits.
She hopes to continue that trajectory as district governor in 2022 when she takes the torch from Michael Moore AM, who said he is confident Miss Rurenga would be a breath of fresh air for the organisation.
"Many people think of Rotary as full of crusty old white men, so we were excited about her involvement and the way she represents a new guard in Rotary," Mr Moore said.
"Geraldine's contribution to Rotary and her broader community were outstanding for somebody who has been involved a relatively short time, and it's clear she has a broad understanding of management."
Mr Moore was on the interview panel that elected Miss Rurenga, and he said the judges were all blown away by her long track record of community service.
Miss Rurenga inherits her passion for community service from her mother Eilagh Rurenga, who is also a Rotarian known around town for her community-mindedness and volunteerism.
"I want to contribute to the community, because particularly in regional communities it's key to that regional lifestyle," Miss Rurenga said.
"You only get out what you put in."
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
