2010 Barnes Scholarship semifinalists selected

Fifty-five high school seniors from the Tampa Bay area have been selected as semifinalists for the 2010 Barnes Scholarship, offered through the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc.

A total of 350 students from public and private schools in Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties applied. A Barnes Scholarship is worth up to $60,000 over four years at an accredited U.S. college or university. Each year, four winners are selected. In 2009, the St. Petersburg Times Fund will provide more than $170,000 in financial aid to college students through the Barnes Scholarships.

Established by the St. Petersburg Times Fund in 1999, the scholarships are named after Andrew Barnes, retired chairman and CEO of the St. Petersburg Times. The Barnes Scholarships target college-bound high school seniors who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives while remaining committed to academic achievement and community service.

The 31 young women and 24 young men who are the semifinalists for the 2010 Barnes Scholarships now must complete the second portion of the application, providing answers to essay questions as well as family financial information, high school transcripts and test scores, and letters of recommendation. This information will be reviewed in early January, and 10 finalists will be selected from the 55 semifinalists. The 10 finalists will be interviewed in late January. The four winners of the 2010 Barnes Scholarships will be announced in February.

Since 2000, 24 Barnes Scholarship winners have graduated from their undergraduate programs. Sixteen are still enrolled. They are attending Harvard, Yale, MIT, Cornell, Duke, the University of Chicago, Bowdoin College, Eckerd College, the University of Florida, University of California-Berkeley, the University of Tampa and Florida State University.

The St. Petersburg Times Fund is the not-for-profit philanthropic arm of the St. Petersburg Times. It has provided scholarships for college students since 19536.

For more information about the Barnes Scholarship program or the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc., contact Nancy Waclawek, director of the fund, at (727) 893-8780 or waclawek@sptimes.com. The fund's Web address is www.sptimesfund.org.