Longboat Island Chapel awards 10 scholarships to local students

Back-to-school season is just around the corner, so the Longboat Island Chapel gave 10 local students going-away gifts. 

“They’re all outstanding students,” Scholarship Committee Chair Peggy Lammers said. “They’re just dynamic.”

Each student received $1,500 to put toward tuition, boarding and books. Three of the 10 scholarship recipients were able to attend a party after Sunday’s service: Samantha McLeod, Jessica Burdette and Grace Lucas, all 18 years old and headed off to college for the first time.

McLeod and Burdette will be Gators at the University of Florida. McLeod went to Riverview High School and will be majoring in behavioral neuroscience. Burdette attended Manatee HIgh School and will be majoring in English.  

Lucas went to Palmetto High School and is off to the University of Arkansas for the nursing program. She also received a scholarship from the university. She will have to repeat the process, she said, but earned enough to cover her freshman year. 

About 30 people gathered in the dining hall to congratulate and celebrate the young women with accolades and a “good luck” cake. 

With an expanded program this year, the scholarship committee reached out to high school guidance counselors to find applicants; 35 applied. Narrowing them down to 10 took six months. “It was very hard,” Lammers said.

The applicants submitted essays, transcripts and financials. All their grades were impeccable, so the committee had to also consider their extracurricular activities and jobs outside of school. 

The scholarship program was started through a legacy fund in 1994. Longboat Island Chapel, along with interest from that fund, paid for the 2022 scholarships. Lila Jones was a recipient this year; her mom was a recipient more than 20 years ago. Jones graduated from Southeast High School and will be attending Ringling College of Art & Design. 

The other recipients:

• Ty’anna Ash graduated from Booker High School and will be attending Florida State University
• Kayla Chapa graduated from Booker High School and will be attending the University of South Florida.
• Alaya Knowlton, also a Booker graduate, is headed to the West Coast to attend the University of Southern California.
• Asnaica Alexandre went to Bayshore High School and will be attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.
• Jared Anthofer went to Riverview High School and will be attending the University of Florida.
• Gabriel French went to Braden River High School and will be attending the University of Central Florida.