Gator Club Awards University of Florida Scholarships to Local Students

May 17, 2017 • By Sharon Aron Baron

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[caption id="attachment_16925" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Top Row: John Kallas, Ryan Levi, Haoquan Yuan, Zachary Blanket, Matthew Ulino,
Alex Barreto. Bottom Row: James Greco, Ashley Stultz, Sara Davis, Izabela Cianci, Sum Chi Poon, Belle LaMontagne, Maria Alaez, Brooke Miller. Not Pictured: Thomas Popovics, College Academy at Broward College.[/caption]

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Incoming University of Florida students from Broward County were awarded scholarships from the Broward County Gator Club including schools from Coral Springs.

The club, which is actively involved in volunteering in the community, awards at least 15 $1,500 scholarships each year to outstanding Broward County students attending their first year at the University of Florida.

[caption id="attachment_16923" align="alignright" width="400"] Daniel Barcia, President Elect; Christina Paradowski, President; Michael Udine, Broward County Commisioner; Kelsey Dean, VP of Social Events & Young Alumni; Krystin Enos, VP of Academics[/caption]

To be considered, students must be seniors, graduating from a public or private Broward County high school, and must be accepted and will be attending the University of Florida the upcoming year. The applicants are then reviewed and scored by the board members.

University of Florida alumni, and Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine who received both his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Florida was present at the ceremony and commended the Gator Club for giving the students financial help as they move forward into college.

“UF really offers something for everyone, so take advantage of all the great opportunities that gator nation offers,” he said.

The Gator Club holds events, including watch parties and young alumni socials throughout the year to raise the funds. They also have been actively seeking scholarship sponsorships. Since the scholarship program was started, they have awarded over $550,000 to local students who are UF bound.

Recipients of the scholarships are:

Ashley Stultz - Calvary Christian Academy

Ryan Levi - College Academy at Broward College

Thomas Popovics - College Academy at Broward College

John Kallas - Coral Springs Charter

Haoquan Yuan - Coral Springs High

Brooke Miller - Cypress Bay High

Matthew Ulino - Cypress Bay High

Maria Paula Alaez - Fort Lauderdale High

Belle LaMontagne - J.P. Taravella High

Zachary Blanket - J.P. Taravella High

Alex Barreto - Somerset Academy Charter High

Sum Chi Poon - Somerset Academy Charter High

Izabela Cianci - South Plantation High

James Greco - St. Thomas Aquinas High

Sarah Elaine Davis - St. Thomas Aquinas High

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.