University of Florida awards prestigious scholarships to 11 Florida high school students
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.
Stamps Scholarships (www.stampsfoundation.org) 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. Stamps Scholars participate in biennial national conferences with a network of scholars from nearly 40 schools across the country.
Florida high schools were invited to nominate two students, and scholars for both programs were selected from 272 nominees and 22 finalists.
The Lombardi program is in its 16th year, and this is the eighth year of the Stamps Program at UF. Both programs choose students from the same applicant pool who receive the same financial package and participate in the same enrichment activities. All scholars spend five weeks participating in a study program in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan, Mexico, during the summer before they begin at UF, and receive support for overseas leadership experiences for the following three summers. Scholars are members of UF’s Honors Program.
The 11 students who have accepted the Lombardi and Stamps scholarships beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year are:
LOMBARDI SCHOLARS
Maya Barrett: Barrett, a National Hispanic Scholar and AP Scholar, is a senior in the International Baccalaureate Program at T.R. Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida where she serves as president of the school orchestra and mentors young women as president of the Ophelia Club. Barrett is active in her community, playing cello in the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and serving as the youngest member on the board of directors for Community Tampa Bay, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting
Phebe Brocke: Brocke is an AP Scholar with Honor and a senior at Paul J. Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida where she is an officer in several honor societies, the Key Club, and the school yearbook. She volunteers at Winter Park Memorial Hospital and plans to major in Health Sciences and earn a certificate in Medical Anthropology at UF in preparation for a career as Chief Medical Officer at a nonprofit health
Rachel Cathey: Cathey is a senior at Niceville High School where she has served as class vice president since her freshman year and is the captain of the track & field team. Cathey is a leader in her school’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her commitment to community service. She plans to follow a pre-medical track in order to become a procedural dermatologist.
Chase Cleveland: Cleveland is a senior at Fort Walton Beach High School where he has been recognized as a scholar-athlete. He is captain of the football and wrestling teams and is a two-time All American cheerleader. Off the field, Cleveland has competed in science fairs at the state, regional, and national level for the past seven years and was named a finalist in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He plans to major in chemical engineering with a goal of improving water purification for people around the world.
Belle LaMontagne: LaMontagne, a National Hispanic Scholar, is a senior at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida. A servant-leader in her community, she has earned over 800 service hours, served on the city’s steering committee as a member of Teen Political Forum, and interned with a city commissioner. At Taravella, LaMontagne is captain of the Public Forum Debate Squad and vice president of the nationally ranked Debate Team. LaMontagne plans on majoring in political science and minoring in nonprofit organizational leadership before earning a law degree and becoming a local government official.
Logan Locascio: A National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar, Locascio is a senior in the Cambridge program at Gainesville High School where he leads the March of Dimes Club and serves as captain of the cross country and track teams. A four-time state qualifier in cross country, he was named 2016 Alachua County Runner of the Year. A research assistant at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Locascio published an article in Florida Entomologist and presented a poster at the Lepidopterists’ Society’s international conference. He plans to pursue a pre-medical track at UF where he will continue research in biology, nutrition, and genetics.
Zach Savitsky: Savitsky is a senior at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Florida where he is International Student Ambassador and a member of the Honor Council. He leads social media communications for his school’s Relay for Life team, helping to raise thousands of dollars in support of the American Cancer Society. Savitsky is interested in science and communications and plans an interdisciplinary approach to his studies at UF.
Kate Welz: Welz is a senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach, Florida where she is active in several honor societies and is captain of the varsity lacrosse team. As a member of the Model United Nations club, Welz has competed in conferences at UF and the University of Central Florida where she was awarded ‘Best Position Paper’ in 2016. She plans to plans to major in biology before earning a law degree in order to practice international environmental law.
STAMPS SCHOLARS
Nathan Barkdull: Barkdull is a senior and International Baccalaureate diploma candidate at Winter Park High School. He is an active member of the FIRST Robotics Competition team and his school and county Quiz Bowl teams, winning first place at Lockheed Martin’s STEM Bowl. Barkdull has completed laser induced breakdown spectroscopy research at the University of Central Florida, applying the technique to environmental monitoring efforts in order to detect heavy metal contamination in soil samples. He plans on majoring in materials science engineering to pursue research in biomaterials.
Stephen Chapman: Chapman is a high school senior at Paul J. Hagerty High school in Oviedo, Florida where he served as captain of the Debate Team and president of the National Honor Society. Active in his community, Chapman served as a student volunteer on the Seminole County Public School District Board and has volunteered hundreds of hours in the audio-visual department of his church. He developed an interest in technology and business as an intern with the University of Central Florida’s Business Incubator Program, and plans to major in computer engineering.
Gabriela Sullivan: Sullivan is a senior in the International Baccalaureate Program at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Florida where she is captain of the varsity tennis team and co-founder of the Art Club. She has been active with the Florida 4-H State Council since middle school and serves as the state president this year. She is frequent science fair competitor, earning second place at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair and qualifying for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the UF JSEHS STEM Research Speaker Competition. Sullivan plans to major in environmental science.