Fifty-three high school seniors have been named semifinalists for the 2009 Barnes Scholarships.
A total of 397 students from public and private schools in Citrus, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties applied.
A Barnes Scholarship, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc., is worth up to $60,000 over four years at an accredited U.S. college or university. Each year, four winners are selected. This year, the fund will provide nearly $192,000 in financial aid to college students through the Barnes Scholarships.
Established by the fund in 1999, the scholarships were renamed in 2004 to honor Andrew Barnes, chairman and chief executive of the St. Petersburg Times, upon his retirement. They target college-bound teens who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives while remaining committed to academic achievement and community involvement.
The 19 young men and 34 young women who are the 2009 semifinalists now must complete the second portion of the application, answering essay questions and supplying financial information, a high school transcript and letters of recommendation from school counselors and other adults.
The information will be reviewed in early January, and 10 finalists will be selected. They will be interviewed in St. Petersburg in late January. Four winners will be announced in February.
Since 2000, 19 Barnes scholars have graduated from college. Seventeen are still enrolled at universities including Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, Columbia, Ohio State, the University of Florida, the University of Tampa, the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago, California-Berkeley, Yale, MIT and Eckerd College.
The St. Petersburg Times Fund, the not-for-profit philanthropic arm of the Times Publishing Co., has provided scholarships for college students since 1953.
For information about the Barnes Scholarship program, contact Nancy Waclawek, director of the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc., at (727) 893-8780. The Web address is www.tampabay.com/scholarships.
2009 Barnes Scholarship semifinalists
Citrus County
Caitlin Camp, Crystal River High School
Michael Maxey, Crystal River High School
Josue Estrella, Lecanto High School
Arlina Paz, Lecanto High School
Hernando County
Joshua Shannon, Central High School
Michael Shannon, Central High School
Jem Lugo, Springstead High School
Jenny Qiao, Springstead High School
Kimberly Thoures, Springstead High School
Desmond Zeng, Springstead High School
Lea Martin, Hernando High School
Hillsborough County
Gabriella Flynn, Academy of the Holy Names
Ryan Hawley, Armwood High School
Kyle Hawley, Armwood High School
Lauryn Kannard, Alonso High School
Oriana Paolillo, Alonso High School
Taylor Cochran, King High School
Sharon Fino, King High School
Francesca Hill, King High School
Alishan Vazir, King High School
Lindsey Rankin, East Bay High School
Kenneth Martinez, Freedom High School
Chantell Albert, Hillsborough High School
Niall Brown, Newsome High School
Rachel Rakoczy, Wharton High School
Jessica Glover, Plant City High School
Chelsea Hall, Plant City High School
Xavier Vega, Plant City High School
Paola Rodriguez, Riverview High School
Sebastian Ruiz, Gaither High School
Manatee County
Pharnette Richemond, Southeast High School
Pasco County
Nguyen Truong, Mitchell High School
Taylor Glogowski, Land O'Lakes High School
Tara Dinoski, Ridgewood High School
Stephanie Spencer-Laine, Ridgewood High School
Brent Bertrand, River Ridge High School
Styliana Resvanis, River Ridge High School
Pinellas County
Veronica Yambrovich, Admiral Farragut Academy
Kirsten Teresi, Lakewood High School-CAT
Zerina Arapovic, Dunedin High School
Sherrill Williams, Gibbs High School
Ryan Griffin, Largo High School
Alicia Gangi, Northeast High School
Dalila Lemezan, Northeast High School
Annie Zheng, Palm Harbor University High School
Emanuel Manco, Pinellas Park High School
Allison Crepeau, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School
Marco Padilla-Rodriguez, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School
Katelyn Albright, St. Petersburg High School
Thomas Holdstein, St. Petersburg High School
Lukas Pleva, St. Petersburg High School
Yun Chang, Tarpon Springs High School
Xuan Dau, Tarpon Springs High School
Loading...