Eleven Florida high school graduates chosen for UF scholarship programs

June 6, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has named eight Florida high school seniors to the Lombardi Scholars Program and three to the Stamps Scholars Program.

Each year, students who exemplify former UF President John V. Lombardi’s commitment to academic excellence, community service, leadership and public responsibility are selected as recipients of this prestigious award program. Lombardi Scholars receive a scholarship for four years of study at UF. They also receive support for overseas study and leadership experiences.

The Penelope W. And E. Roe Stamps IV Leadership Scholar Awards are made possible by generous funding from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. The Stamps Foundation seeks to reward exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, and innovation.

Florida high schools were invited to nominate one student, and winners for both programs were selected from 160 nominees and 20 finalists. The Lombardi program is in its 11th year, and the eight additional students will maintain the program at 32 participants. This is the third year of the Stamps program.

Both programs choose students from the same applicant pool who receive the same financial package and participate in the same enrichment activities. Students spend six weeks participating in a study program in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan, Mexico, during the summer before they begin at UF. All students will participate in the honors program.

The 11 students who have accepted the Lombardi and Stamps scholarships beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year are:

Lombardi Scholars

Ryan Baum of Orlando is an artist, an intellectual and a leader. He was a percussionist throughout middle school and high school playing a variety of instruments. As a sophomore, art became one of his strong interests. In his first year, he won the Congressional Art Competition for Florida’s 8th district and his art was exhibited for a year in our nation’s capital. Since then his work has been exhibited throughout Central Florida. He has a passion for ministry and community, serving more than 500 hours throughout high school. He is valedictorian of his class, a National Merit Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction. Baum hopes to dual major in graphic design and psychology.

Stephen Gibbs of Longwood excels in both academics and athletics. While serving as captain of his high school’s varsity football, basketball and volleyball teams, he has maintained a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA with a difficult schedule of Advanced Placement courses. Gibbs has been a Boy Scout since age 11, rising to the rank of Eagle Scout. He has logged numerous community service hours and has served as a summer camp counselor, math tutor and youth football coach.

Kaitlyn Johnston is a home-schooled senior from Windermere who will graduate high school with her Honors Associate of Arts degree from Valencia College. During her four years of high school, Johnston has taught public speaking and Latin classes at a classical private school. She competed nationally in both Lincoln Douglas Value Debate and Team Policy Debate, finishing third in the nation. A nationally ranked speaker by the age of 15, Johnston has directed forensics camps for hundreds of students. Johnston also plays on a nationally ranked quiz bowl team and tutors elementary mathematics students. She plans to major in communication sciences and disorders with a minor in linguistics.

Marshall Petrik is an International Baccalaureate student at Fort Myers High School. Along with family, academics are the main focus of his life, having had a 4.0 unweighted GPA throughout high school. In addition to scholastics, he is a dedicated athlete: a two-year varsity swimmer, two-year varsity cross-country runner and a four-year varsity track runner. Outside of school, he is a black belt in karate and an avid cyclist. His main hobby is pen making, to which he dedicates a lot of time. He has progressed from making simple pens to making functional pieces of art. The work has taught him about business and has piqued his interest in mechanical engineering, which he intends to study at UF.

Sameer Saboungi is an International Baccalaureate student at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, where he has been recognized as a National High School Scholar, an AP Scholar and a two-time recipient of the Volusia County Futures Foundation Recognition of Excellence Award. Saboungi is an active member of several organizations; he founded and is president of the Islamic Awareness Club, captain of the school Academic Team, and has secretarial positions in the Florida Junior Academy of Sciences and the Junior American Medical Association. Saboungi has participated and won at the State Science Fair and Florida History Fair numerous times and in the Regional Science and Social Studies Fair for six years. He volunteers at the local hospice, teaches Arabic at school, volunteers extensively at his local mosque. Saboungi plans on a career in medicine.

Ari Sharfstein is a senior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, where he is the president of Student Government, an active member of the Honors A Capella choral group, a member of the National Honor Society and founding member of the Res Novae Philosophy Club. Sharfstein has also applied his leadership skills to community service projects such as Stand Together, an anti-bullying campaign that he spearheaded at American Heritage, and Camp Jenny, where he has served as a counselor in training and head counselor for underprivileged youth from inner-city Atlanta for four years. He is president of his temple youth group. A National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar, Sharfstein plans to major in biochemistry with a concentration in neuroscience and a minor in music.

Marina Kay Wiatt is the valedictorian at Marathon High School with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. Wiatt is both a National Merit Finalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. She has participated in the Academic Challenge Team for three years. A three-sport varsity athlete, Wiatt served as team captain her senior year for cross country, soccer and tennis. Wiatt was recently awarded the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship as well as the Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs Scholarship. For three years, she has served as the student representative to the board of directors for the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. She has also served for two years on the PeaceJam Youth Board of Monroe County. Wiatt plans to pursue her love of mathematics and biology by majoring in biomedical engineering.

Rachel Wise of Zephyrhills has authored a children’s book, won service awards in recognition of her anti-bullying work and has been a national finalist in public speaking competitions. She has served as president of Florida 4-H and worked as a messenger in the Florida House of Representatives. Wise is a competitive singer and enjoys acting. The combination of serving as editor-in-chief of her high school’s newspaper and her work with 4-H and the Legislature has inspired her to pursue a career that fuses her interests in journalism and political science.

Stamps Scholars

Isis Ash is a senior at Plant City High School where she is a scholar, leader, athlete and philanthropist. Ash currently maintains a 6.26 weighted GPA and was recently named a National Achievement Finalist and an AP Scholar of Distinction. She has participated in 17 clubs and extracurricular activities ranging from the Drama Club to the Academic Team. She has served as secretary of Executive Council, editor of Key Club and a Student Council representative. For four years, Ash played on the girls varsity tennis team and is currently the number one seeded player and co-captain. She incorporated her love of tennis into her volunteer work when she co-founded Tennis Anyone, a program that teaches special needs students to play tennis so that they can compete in the Special Olympics. She plans to enter the pre-dental program.

Amanda Clark of Palmetto is an International Baccalaureate senior at Southeast High School in Bradenton. She volunteers as a puppy raiser for Southeastern Guide Dogs, a local organization that provides guide dogs free to visually impaired individuals. Clark has created a 45-minute instructional video for fellow puppy raisers called “How to Train Your Guide Dog Puppy” that will be placed on www.guidedogs.org. Clark is in her fourth year as an active member Southeast Television and earned a third-place national title in 2009 and a national championship title in 2011 in SkillsUSA Broadcast News Production. She has also been involved with Formula One in Schools since her sophomore year, holding a World Championship title in 2010 and a third-place world title in 2011. She hopes to pursue a career in television production.

Brendan Dufresne is a graduating senior from Winter Park High School. A candidate in the International Baccalaureate Program, Dufresne maintains a 4.0 unweighted GPA and was named a National Merit Finalist. Brendan is a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the Math Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. He has been involved with the Boy Scouts since he was 6, has been inducted into the Order of the Arrow and has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Dufresne has played the trombone for seven years, participating in the wind ensemble, jazz band, marching band and orchestra. He has been selected by audition for Florida All-State Concert and All-County Jazz ensembles for five years and the Orange County Honor Band for six years. He spent three years as the principal trombonist in the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. Dufresne will study chemical engineering and music.