Vaulting into a bright future

By Toshio Suzuki

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Wilson High School sophomore Jaclyn Katz-Rubinchik sets the bar high for herself. This is probably why she is currently unimpressed with her personal record in the pole vault but also why she has been recognized as a Multnomah Athletic Club scholar athlete.
Katz-Rubinchik and 26 other local high school representatives will receive a membership to the MAC for the remainder of their prep careers and a $1,000 scholarship for college. Upon completion of high school they will be club eligible at privileged rates.
"Jaclyn has an elevated sense of self-responsibility," said Kendra Gardner, Katz-Rubinchik's P.E. and basketball coach. "This high standard she aspires to is what sets her apart from other student athletes in her class."
For 35 years, the Multnomah Athletic Club Scholar Athlete Program has been honoring local high school students for their achievements in the classrooms and on the playing fields. All scholar athletes must be nominated by a coach and prepare a resume—Katz-Rubinchik's is two full pages. The initial group is narrowed down to a field of five and then interviewed by a panel of judges.
When asked how she responded to the typical interview question of 'Where will you be in 10 years?' Katz-Rubinchik casually answered: "Probably still in school, working in a bio-chem. lab."

She previously had contemplated becoming a physician but "didn't like the idea of telling people they were sick," so she progressed to curing illness in a petri dish instead. As for now, Katz-Rubinchik likes the idea of attending her cousins' alma maters, the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard University.
College administrators will be impressed with Katz-Rubinchik's 4.0 GPA and other academic accolades, but it may be her service-based extracurricular activities that distance her from others. She is a frequent volunteer in the community, not just for Congregation Shaarie Torah where she is a member and Portland Jewish Academy where she is a former student, but also at Mittleman Jewish Community Center and Congregation Neveh Shalom.
Even Jaclyn's mother, Brenda Katz, seems in awe of her daughter's accomplishments.
"She's smarter than me and more athletic than me," Katz said. "Sometimes Jaclyn takes pity on me and we go for a walk-run."
Katz-Rubinchik is on the varsity cross-country and track teams as well as the junior varsity basketball squad. And when she's not competing in the Portland Interscholastic League, Katz-Rubinchik is flinging opponents around the tae kwon do mats—she's a black belt.
Katz-Rubinchik does not tolerate mediocrity in herself, said Coach Gardner. Actions can speak even louder than awards or resumes; and Katz-Rubinchik's actions indicate a promising future.