Eleven Fla. high school graduates receive Lombardi, Stamps scholarships

May 18, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has named eight Florida high school seniors to the Lombardi Scholars Program and three to the Stamps Scholars Program.

Each year, students who exemplify former UF President John V. Lombardi’s commitment to academic excellence, community service, leadership and public responsibility are selected as recipients of this prestigious award program. Lombardi Scholars receive a scholarship for four years of study at UF. They also receive support for overseas study and leadership experiences.

The Penelope W. And E. Roe Stamps IV Leadership Scholar Awards are made possible by generous funding from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. Stamps Scholars are chosen from the same applicant pool as the Lombardi Scholars, and receive the same financial package and participate in the same enrichment activities. The Stamps Foundation seeks to reward exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, and innovation; therefore, this is a natural complement to the Lombardi Scholars Program.

Florida high schools were invited to nominate one student, and winners for both programs were selected from 169 nominees and 18 finalists. The Lombardi program is in its 10th year, and the eight additional students will maintain the program at 32 participants. This is the second year of the Stamps program.

Students spend six weeks participating in a study program in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan in Mexico, during the summer before they begin at UF. All students will participate in the honors program.

The 11 students who have accepted the Lombardi and Stamps scholarships beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year are:

Lombardi Scholars:

• TJ Anderson: Anderson is a senior in the International Baccalaureate Program at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. He is an active member in Gulliver’s music department where he is vice president of the wind ensemble, the clarinet section leader, and principal in the clarinet quartet. In addition to his music involvement, Anderson is vice president of Gulliver’s chapter of the National Honor Society and helped to develop a volunteer program to support an after-school center for at-risk youth in Florida City. An AP Scholar, Anderson plans to study history and economics.
• Corey Flayman: Flayman is a senior at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek where he is founder and editor-in-chief of the school’s magazine, InMotion. He is also senior class president, having previously served in Student Government as 9th and 10th grade legislator and junior class secretary-treasurer. Flayman is interested in social media and intends to earn dual degrees in Journalism and Computer Science.
• Hannah Gamache: Gamache is a senior at Tampa Preparatory School where she has applied her creative talents to community projects such as Coloring the Community, where she designed and painted murals at local elementary schools. She serves as president of STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) and is an active member of the National Art Honor Society and the Poetry Club. She plans to major in English with emphases in creative writing and art, film and media studies.
• Alexia Khella: Khella is a senior at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton, where she is editor-in-chief of the school literary and arts magazine, and photo editor and staff writer for the newspaper. Khella dedicates most of her time to S.M.I.L.E. Photography, a nonprofit organization she founded in 2010 which is committed to providing community groups with free photos of their events. Khella intends to expand S.M.I.L.E. into a university organization at UF, where she will double major in English and political science in preparation for law school.
• Andrew Kolarich: Kolarich is an International Baccalaureate diploma candidate at Winter Park High School. An AP Scholar, Kolarich plans to pursue a career in medicine and volunteers at the Orlando Regional Medical Center where he is founder and editor-in-chief of the TAV Newsletter, a publication distributed specifically for teenage hospital volunteers. Kolarich enjoys scuba diving and backpacking, and was named an Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America. He plans to major in biology.
• Corey Nickels: Nickels is a senior at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey. Nickels has been recognized in his community for his extensive recycling efforts and the development of a bicycle repair initiative that has facilitated the donation of almost 200 bicycles to those in need of transportation. Nickels plans to major in electrical engineering and conduct research on alternative energy.
• Grace Ooi: Ooi is a senior at Nova High School in Davie. Ooi is president of her school’s Science National Honor Society, and is a volunteer peer-tutor for calculus and chemistry. During the summer of 2010, Ooi participated in the Student Science Training Program at the University of Florida and was part of the first high school team to successfully launch an operating atmospheric balloon from Kennedy Space Center. An AP Scholar, Ooi plans to major in materials science engineering in order to pursue a career in energy technology.
• Valentina Vincentelli: A National Hispanic Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction, Valentina Vincentelli is a senior at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. Vincentelli serves as Campus Ministry President for her school, and has since spring 2010 spent her vacation time on mission trips to the slums of Caracas, Venezuela (where she was born). She plans to major in industrial systems engineering with double minors in philosophy and religion.

Stamps Scholars

• Deina Bossa: Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Bossa moved to the United States at age eight. She will graduate from Buchholz High School in Gainesville this June while at the same time earning an Associate of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Santa Fe College where she serves as a student government senator and president of the Model United Nations Team. A finalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, Bossa plans on studying biology and economics in preparation for medical school.
• Joseph Di Paolo: DiPaolo is a senior at Lake Mary High School where he is president of the Teenage Republicans and secretary of Mu Alpha Theta and the Computer Science Club. DiPaolo is heavily involved with local politics and community volunteering, and has worked with senatorial and congressional campaigns. He plans to major in economics.
• Kristin Tringali: Tringali is a senior at Crystal River High School where she is active in several organizations including the calculus club and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She has for four years served as captain of the varsity tennis team and volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club as a tennis instructor. Tringali plans to major in physics with plans for a career as a medical physicist.