Florida Panhandle's Top Stem Students to be Honored in Orlando

Florida�s highest achieving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students from the Panhandle will join their peers from around the state Thursday and Friday in Orlando to be honored during the newly revamped Sunshine State Scholars program. The two-day awards and recruitment event celebrates the accomplishments of these elite students and provides a unique opportunity for Florida�s universities and colleges to recruit their talents.
The Scholars event started as a simple science and math competition in 1997 and has evolved into a program designed to recognize Florida�s top high school STEM students and recruit them to pursue their post secondary education in Florida � increasing the likelihood that they will join Florida�s future workforce. Each school district selects and names one 11th grade scholar based on established criteria.
The program will begin on Thursday evening with a welcome reception keynoted by Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith and Stacy Carlson of the Helios Education Foundation. The event continues on Friday with a breakfast headlined by Dr. Will Holcombe, Chancellor of the Florida College System, and Frank Brogan, Chancellor of the State University System. The recruitment fair will follow where students can talk directly with higher education officials from more than 25 Florida public colleges and universities to explore the opportunities that could await them in a Florida postsecondary institution. The event will conclude with an awards luncheon where scholars will be treated to a speech by Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative, after which students can enjoy their free passes to Universal Orlando Resort.
The event will take place at:
Doubletree Hotel at Entrance to Universal Orlando
5780 Major Blvd
Orlando

Thursday, Feb. 17
Welcome Reception
6:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 18
Breakfast
8:00 a.m
Recruitment Fair
9:00 a.m.
Awards Luncheon
12:00 p.m.
The Sunshine State Scholars program is a collaborative effort between the Florida Education Foundation, the Division of Florida Colleges, the State University System and the Florida Department of Education. Event sponsors of this year�s program include the Helios Education Foundation, Universal Orlando Resort, Gulf Power, Florida Trend Magazine, and the Florida Lottery.
A list of the Sunshine State Scholars from Florida�s Panhandle is below.

Panhandle of Florida

District	Student	School
Bay	Jensen Brahier	Bay High
Calhoun	Caitlyn Stewart	Blountstown High
Escambia	Sami Alsheikh	Pensacola High
Florida State University	Nicole Tuovila	Florida State University School
Franklin	Jessica Dempsey	Franklin County High
Gadsden	Jeffrey Jackson II	East Gadsden High
Gulf	Taylor Jay Husband	Wewahitchka High
Holmes	Marissa English	Holmes County High
Jackson	Annemarie Nichols	Graceville High
Jefferson	Alexus Chambers	Jefferson County High
Leon	Breshawn Best	Lincoln High
Liberty	Molly Holmes	Liberty County High
Madison	Lindsey Pinkard	Madison County High
Okaloosa	Katherine Stone	Fort Walton Beach High
Santa Rosa	Colton Westover	Milton High
Taylor	Alexander Eli Grambling	Taylor County High
Wakulla	Kristie Hodges	Wakulla High
Walton	Alex Brack	Walton High
Washington	Michael Pritchard	Chipley High

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