MEET OUR WINNERS!
It is my honor, on behalf of the FPEA Scholarship Fund Board of Directors, to present our scholarship winners for 2007. This year we received 30% more applications than the previous year. Half of all of all applicants qualify for Bright Futures scholarships with 30% scoring over 1270 on their SAT’s. We received applications from 17 of the 67 counties. And for all those skeptics who seem to think that homeschooled students are isolated, our applicants logged over 20,000 hours of community service during their high school years. Each year the application review process becomes more and more difficult. Frankly, you are just making our job harder because your students are so successful! This year we awarded more scholarships and more money than ever before!
The Craig Dickinson Memorial Scholarship is awarded in memory of Craig Dickinson, husband to Brenda Dickinson, the homeschool lobbyist. Craig authored the home education law that has benefited us all. This scholarship is awarded to a student for outstanding academic achievement.
Our Dickinson $1000 Scholarship winner, Corey Tiller, comes to us from Boca Raton. He’s been homeschooled exclusively. He’s a National Merit Finalist, achieved the General Billy Mitchell award with the Civil Air Patrol and served as the Treasurer for the state Teenage Republican Students. A leader, a civic minded and academically excellent student, our winner is heading to LibertyUniversity to study business.
The Mason Lighthouse Scholarship is awarded in memory of former FPEA director Renee Mason. It is given to the student who is a light of service to the homeschool/church/civic communities.
Our Mason $1000 Scholarship winner, Kristen Mack, lives in Boca Raton and has been homeschooled her entire life. She has logged over 1800 hours of community service. She represents the spirit of this scholarship as she is known for having a servant’s heart. She has served her family (5 sisters) especially after the death of her father. She’s gone on missions trips, served in church, volunteered for political campaigns (one of her recommendations is from a Florida State Legislature), taught ballet, participated in her homeschool group and yearbook. She plans to attend SoutheasternUniversity to study communications.
The $1000 State of the Arts Scholarship is for a student who excels in the visual or performing arts field and plans to pursue the arts after high school.
Our winner, Matthew Zimmerer, comes from Cocoa and has been homeschooled through high school. He has won a number of first place competitions for his outstanding photography including Central and Florida State Fair, the North American Nature Photography Association which won him a trip to California. In May 2007, he was the featured exhibitor at the Art Expressions Gallery in Eau Gallie, FL. His greatest aspiration is to own his own photography gallery and to be exhibited at the Smithsonian as his photographs can touch those who view them. He plan to study art at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
This year the FPEA Scholarship Board chose to award 3 $500 merit scholarships to students whose applications excelled.
Another applicant from Boca Raton, Kevin Tiller, excelled academically. He shares his knowledge and skills with others via a tutoring business, played sports and plans to attend University of Central Florida majoring in computer science and political science.
Our second merit scholarship winner comes from SafetyHarbor and also excelled academically with a strong classical education. Christine Fuller is an active chess player and plays violin. She plans to attend St. JohnsCollege in the fall to study liberal arts.
Our final merit scholarship winner, Leja Apple, comes from St. Petersburg where she is well known for her countless hours of community service. Logging in over 1300 hours including Relay for Life, All Children’s Hospital Telethon, efforts on behalf of the homeless, church and even our statewide graduation ceremony. She will continue at St. PetersburgCollege to pursue a degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics
Our Southwest Florida Forum Club $1000 Scholarship winner, Matt Silic from Naples, hopes to study Civil Engineering. We are pleased to renew two Pinellas County Christian Homeschool scholarships to Breckon Pav and Andrea Apple. Each will be receiving $1000. Breckon is a third year medical student at University of Florida and Andrea is completing her first year of school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
In case you haven’t followed the amounts of our scholarships, I am pleased to announce that this year, the FPEA Scholarship Fund is distributing $7500. We cannot possibly achieve this milestone without the help of our partners. We want to thank all the homeschool friendly vendors who help by contributing to our silent auction and to the Fund. Many support groups around the state contribute to our auction and collect box tops and champ change – our other fundraisers. FPEA members – you have generous hearts and continue to support these and future winners through our box top/champ change and auction fundraisers. Our scholarship partners – including The SW Florida Forum Club and the Pinellas County Christian Business men support our Fund with cash donations (501 c3) And last but certainly not least – the FPEA – through our partnership with the strongest and most comprehensive statewide homeschool organization, the Fund has been able to endow both the Dickinson and Mason Scholarships. Our next goal is to endow the State of the Arts Scholarship. Do you realize that if each person that attended the convention dropped one dollar in our champ change container, this scholarship would be endowed this year. That is the strength we have in our numbers. Although the FUND and the FPEA are two separate organizations, it is only by working together that we can truly help FPEA graduates pursue their dreams after high school!