For the 10th consecutive year, the Boston Red Sox presented local public high-school seniors each with a $5,000 college scholarship by the Red Sox Foundation.
All Lee County charter and ALS schools were added with one $5,000 scholarship also being awarded to a student from this category for a total of 16 scholarships worth $80,000.
The scholarships are for academically talented students who have shown a commitment to community service and are pursuing a two- or four- year degree at any college or university.
The 16 students plan to attend universities ranging from FGCU, Embry Riddle, UF, Duke, UCF, FSU, Dartmouth and more and will major in subjects including marketing, psychology, engineering, biology, aeronautics, nursing, education, finance, among others.
“This is always one of our favorite games of the year because we get to celebrate these local students and their accomplishments on the field in front of all our Spring Training fans,” said Brennan Whitley, director, Florida Events and Operations, Boston Red Sox, in a prepared statement. “These students have obviously worked incredibly hard and our Red Sox Foundation members that review the applications each year say it’s not an easy process to pick just one recipient because so many are deserving. We are extremely proud to celebrate our 10th year of providing these scholarships and we look forward to many more.”
David Doran, principal of ReRoute Americas, was the title sponsor of the Swings For The Sox for the 10th consecutive year. Doran has donated more than $100,000 to the Red Sox scholarship program.
Scholarship funds are raised annually from proceeds of the Red Sox annual Swings for the Sox Golf Tournament. To date, the Swings for the Sox has raised more than $683,000 for local charities and specifically $598,000 for the scholarship program.
“We are extremely proud of these students. High school is tough enough but these individuals kept on pushing and persevering,” said Angela Nader, regional associate superintendent for the School District of Lee County. “The Lee County School District is also thankful to the Red Sox organization for continuing to provide these $5,000 scholarships to a student from each high school; it’s really quite an amazing thing they are doing for these students and our community.”
2025 Scholarship Recipients
• Amy Kollcinaku, Bonita Springs
• Haruna Mescallado, Cape Coral
• Danielle Barsheshet, Cypress Lake
• Jennifer Gonzalez, Dunbar
• Julian Gonzalez, East Lee County
• Meghan Lay, Estero
• Jaylinn Hinojosa, Fort Myers
• Jazmine Olivera-Morales, Gateway
• Alia Mercado-Lues, Ida Baker
• Alexandra Flores, Island Coast
• Anahy Gonzalez-Mata, Lehigh Senior
• Adrielle Costa, Mariner
• Katrina Placencia, North Fort Myers
• Sean De Andrade, Riverdale
• Ilenys Cabrera Rego, South Fort Myers
• Brayan Morejon, Charter/ALS
Katrina Placencia of North Fort Myers High School, the No. 1 student in Lee County who boasts a 5.86 GPA was among the deserving scholarship recipients.
“It’s such an honor,” Placencia said. “This scholarship means a lot to me, especially with how expensive college is.”
With her mother recently going back to school to get her master’s, and her sister also in college, Placencia said being able to lift some of the financial burden that comes along with secondary education has been a weight off of her shoulders.
“It feels like a big accomplishment for me, especially as I’m very much a ‘go-getter’ and an achiever,” she said. “I love that the principles for the scholarship is giving back to the community and really going for your academics, too. Being able to receive this scholarship, it’s like they see me and I’m doing what I need to do.”
Where she’ll be studying next year is still undecided, as she’s still waiting for some Ivy League responses, such as the University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt. She is also thinking about attending Florida State University.
Placencia plans to major in either biology or exercise physiology with the goal to become an anesthesiologist.
“Most of my family is in the medical field, so seeing that and how I always want to give back,” Placencia said of why she wanted to pursue that path. “One of my gifts is math. As an anesthesiologist, you have to be really good at math, so that’s something I want to take with me into the medical field.”
Placencia, who will serve as North Fort Myers High’s valedictorian, said she plans on her GPA increasing to a 6 before the school year is over.
“That’s something I never thought I could achieve,” she said. “I want to make my parents proud. I decided to not take it easy my senior year, and to relax when I get to summer.”
Her advice to students still on their educational path?
“Just keep dreaming,” Placencia said. “Just keep pushing yourself. Don’t give up. Don’t feel like anything can hold you back, if anything, it will be yourself and your doubts. If you have a clear mind you can achieve your goals, so keep going.”
The Red Sox Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official team charity of the Boston Red Sox. The foundation’s primary focus locally is in serving the health, education, recreation and social service needs of children and families across Southwest Florida. The Red Sox Foundation is one of the most successful in all of Major League Baseball.
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