7 scholarship winners recognized at Longboat Island Chapel

Judy Govalet, a member of Longboat Island Chapel's scholarship committee, said all seven of this year's recipients are previous award winners. She said it just goes to show how sincerely devoted those students are to keeping up their grades, working toward their career ambitions and making time to give back to others.

"The requirements are quite stringent in terms of character, integrity and community service," she said, noting that the committee focuses particularly on those attending schools in Florida.

This year's awardees are Ty'Anna Ash, Jessica Burdette, Jacob Burdette, Kage Jones, Grace Lucas, Samantha McLead and Danae Tran.

Ash, Jones and McLead joined in a post-Sunday service celebration on July 20 at the chapel, where they thanked congregation members for their support over cake.

McLead, an incoming senior at Florida State University, said she is immensely proud to have earned scholarships for four years, aiding her in pursuing a future in criminal justice. She is majoring in psychology and criminology, and she is considering a career in law.

"I've always been interested in how the mind works and getting to know people, and I love true crime documentaries," she said. "I put the two together and thought it would be a great foundation for law school."

She is currently interning with the Sarasota law firm Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick. After graduating law school, she would hope to bring her experience back home.

"I want to help people who aren't capable of advocating for themselves or don't necessarily have the funds to do so," she said.

Ash, a Florida State University attendee from Sarasota, is studying exercise physiology. Inspired by a challenging recovery from a sports-related injury, she hopes to one day open her own physical therapy practice, ensuring patients get the care they deserve.

"I played point guard in basketball and ran track, but I tore my ACL," she said. 

She is set to graduate after this fall semester.

Jones is studying chemical engineering at the University of Florida.

His particular focus is environment-based work, examining how direct air capture technology catches carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air.

This isn't the only accomplishment he's celebrating this summer. He and a team of fellow student scientists earned the opportunity to present at the 2025 National AIChE Conference in November in Boston.

Jones continues a family tradition of earning scholarships from Longboat Island Chapel. Both his sister and mother are previous award winners.

All three recipients that day offered words of encouragement to incoming college freshmen, including those of Ash, who said, "Never stop chasing your dreams."

The scholarship committee works closely with regional schools on student selection for the awards, and every recipient must first interview with the committee and demonstrate meeting all the criteria.

Govalet said even with the financial strain of rebuilding the hurricane-damaged chapel this year, members made funding the scholarships a priority. 

Each awardee received $1,500 to support their studies.

"We decided to set a uniform amount a while back, honestly, because these kids are all so highly qualified," she said.

Typically, the application deadline is around April.