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From students with singing skills to one who’s interested in too many careers to choose from, here are some of the exceptional students who recently earned scholarship awards in Sarasota.
Total value: $16,000
When Riley Lukachyk, a fifth grader at Fruitville Elementary, was planning the essay she submitted for the Superintendent Scholarship Award, she found it challenging to narrow down possible careers to discuss.
To quote her essay, “You end up trying to mash all of your likes into one career, but it turns out there isn’t really a profession for a dirt bike-painting fisherman farmer. … It’s hard to pick just one thing to spend your whole life pursuing. I think that’s why a lot of kids end up saying ‘I don’t know’ to these questions.”
Of all careers, Lukachyk is most drawn to zoology. She lives on a farm and holds a love for animals. She’s also drawn to the idea of being a painter.
“My brother rides a dirt bike, and it looks so bland, and I just want to paint it,” she said.
She is currently considering attending the University of Florida, based on its agricultural programs.
The Superintendent Scholarship Award is provided to students annually by Sarasota County Schools, through a partnership with Florida Prepaid.
Over $6,000 total value
Chorus of the Keys is a men’s acapella group keeping the barbershop music alive, said scholarship recipient Caleb Blocker, a senior at Riverview High School.
It’s also investing in the young people in the community, offering the scholarship each year to students in Sarasota and Manatee counties to facilitate the advanced study of vocal music, as well as other forms of music.
He plans to attend Belmont University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, which he calls the “Music Capital of the World,” and hopes to become a solo artist if possible.
Last year, he was a contestant on “American Idol,” although the segment never aired.
“I just couldn’t believe what was happening because I just didn’t think it was possible,” he said. “I didn’t go into it expecting it to be, and that’s the only way I could do it and not be freaked out. That’s how I almost always do anything. Ever since the first time I performed, confidence is really just how well you can fake it.”
Troy Ashby, a senior at Sarasota High School, said he was grateful for the scholarship because it is now possible for him to focus more on practicing music, and less on work.
He plans to attend University of South Florida to major in music performance, focusing on percussion.
$51,000 total value
(All scholarships were awarded to high school seniors)
Although the Military Officers Association of Sarasota, an affiliate chapter of Military Officers Association of America, may serve military causes, it also provides scholarships to students of all kinds.
The criteria, including those for the five JROTC-based scholarships each year, are focused on the merit of each student, said Scholarship Chair Susan Warmington.
“I don’t know how many hours of the day they have left, but they are mentoring other students and younger people, older people,” she said. “They do just so many things out into the community, and they’re just really amazing kids.”
Aspects of the students’ busy schedules, Warmington said, also include community service, dual enrollment courses like Cambridge College courses and employment as well.
Nine of the 17 awardees came with their parents to a ceremony on May 8, which featured Mayor Liz Alpert, to receive their $3,000 checks.
Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.
