Scholars celebrated at Longboat Island Chapel award reception

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. July 24, 2026

Danae Tran plays the violin for Longboat Island Chapel attendees of the July 19 morning service before she and fellow scholarship recipient Michelle McLeod move to greet guests at the award reception.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Longboaters were treated to the musical talents of violinist Danae Tran for a special Sunday morning church service where she and four other students received recognition for their academic ambitions.

Longboat Island Chapel awarded a total of $10,000 in scholarships to Tran, Ty’Anna Ash, Jake Burdette, Kage Jones and Michelle McLeod this year.

McLeod and Tran greeted their supporters at a reception on July 19 at the chapel.

Judy Govalet, a member of Longboat Island Chapel's scholarship committee, brings students Danae Tran and Michelle McLeod to Shook Hall for a community reception. Tran, McLeod and three other students won academic scholarships from the chapel this year.

While the other students are all previous recipients, Michelle McLeod followed in the footsteps of her sister, Samantha, to win an award this year.

Like her sister, Michelle McLeod is entering the world of criminal justice. She is going into her senior year at the University of South Florida for a degree in criminology with a minor in psychology. She plans to intern with a Sarasota-based law firm while working on her paralegal certification.

"I'm looking forward to everything," she said of the upcoming school year, elaborating on plans to catch up with friends, finish her degree and travel.

The Sarasota native said she hopes to find a firm in Southwest Florida where she can work full time after graduating.

She thanked the Longboat community for its robust support.

"Having all these wonderful people around is so nice," she said while gesturing around the hall, where several dozen attendees came to greet the students. "Could I be luckier? I don't think so — my name is on a cake."

To incoming undergraduates, her advice is to take advantage of every opportunity.

"Hard work pays off," she said, also recommending that those hard-working students take time to celebrate their efforts along the way. "Acknowledge when you are doing your best."

Tran has been putting her instrumental skills to use as she prepares to enter her senior year studying violin performance at Stetson University. She recently returned from playing at the Texas Music Festival and traveled to Germany for a tour this year.

It was her first time not only playing at the four-week music festival, but also ever visiting Texas.

She started playing the violin at about 5 years old, and while she doesn't clearly remember what it was like learning as such a young musician, she is grateful now to have gotten an early start.

"It takes lots of time and lots of practice and patience," she would tell students looking to pursue music at a higher level.

Tran said it is equally important to be kind to oneself while taking on new challenges.

"It takes time, but it will work out," she said.

As a repeat recipient, Tran said she is immensely grateful for the community's ongoing support of her development in the fine arts. She is now looking into options for two-year graduate school programs.

"I'm very open-minded within the job community," she said. "There's orchestra, chamber, opera pit and ballet pit, and more. I'm keeping my options open."

While she has traveled far to further her musical career, Tran said she also appreciates getting to participate in local events like that morning's service and her hometown of Bradenton.

Judy Govalet, a member of Longboat Island Chapel's scholarship committee, said the organization has received applications from many high-achieving students, and it is glad to provide meaningful support to students over several years. With multiple recipients graduating this year, she said they are hoping to open up applications to more students next year.

This year's Longboat Island Chapel scholarship recipients are Ty’Anna Ash, Jake Burdette, Kage Jones, Michelle McLeod and Danae Tran.

Photo by Dana Kampa

Meet the other recipients

Not in attendance on July 19 were Ty'Anna Ash, Jake Burdette and Kage Jones.

Ty'Anna Ash is a graduate of Florida State University, where she majored in exercise physiology. She recently applied to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

Jake Burdette is entering his junior year at the University of Florida. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, focusing on wealth management.

Kage Jones is preparing for his senior year at the University of Florida with plans to secure a degree in chemical engineering. He is currently learning about area management and process optimization at an internship with Amazon.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.