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Over $1 million in scholarships were given out to 337 Osceola County graduating seniors at the annual Education Foundation Osceola County award ceremony PHOTO/TONI ROWAN
Students wearing formal dress and broad smiles made their way to Osceola Heritage Park Wednesday for the annual Education Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony.
The excitement was palpable as the room filled with 337 proud recipients and their families.
“Graduation is a starting point,” Osceola Schools Superintendent Mark Shanoff told the group. “It’s not a stopping point. Graduation is not a pause. It’s a launching. This celebration and acknowledgement of how this community continues to support our students is actually a boost for your launch. It’s about you, and this community continuing to wrap its arms around you. Whatever you do and wherever you land, don’t forget where it all started for you—right here in Osceola County.”
And indeed, Osceola County comes through in a big way to support these exceptional collegebound students. This year, the Education Foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships.
“We are immensely proud of our scholarship recipients and their remarkable accomplishments,” said Kerry Avery, Executive Director of the Education Foundation. “Their dedication to academic excellence is truly commendable, and we have no doubt that they will continue to positively impact the world around them.”
Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed scholarships totaling over $11 million from funding from more than 100 community partners, as well as funds raised through the Foundation’s annual Larry Godwin Memorial Scholarships for Kids Golf Classic.
With humor and authenticity, Dr. Kathleen Plinske, President of Valencia College, shared four pieces of advice with the students.
“Do not get too hung up on your major. It’s okay if you don’t know all of the details about your career and your retirement plan right now. That is what college is for, is to help you figure this out,” she said.
“The major that you select does influence the courses that you take. So if you don’t really like math, astrophysics probably isn’t the right choice. But if you choose psychology now and later go into advertising, that’s just fine. Or if you choose business now and later choose education, that will work.”
Plinske’s second piece of advice was, “Your GPA is not the only thing that counts. One of my biggest surprises was how hard I worked to earn a 4.0, and not once in my career have I been asked what my GPA was. Do you know how disappointing that is?”
“This is the only time in your life when your primary responsibility will be to learn and to explore. Please take every advantage of it. Take time to get involved in campus, in clubs, in service organizations, in leadership roles. The opportunities are endless. The most important thing is that you earn your degree. If you can do so with honors, that’s terrific. But no one will know or care if you keep a perfect 4.0.”
Pinske continued, “I want to know that it’s ok to cry in college. I can guarantee you that there will be some difficult times. You will miss your friends, you’ll miss your family, you’ll wish you were back home, you’ll miss your mom’s cooking. You will freeze on the exam, or your printer will run out of ink when you need to print the paper, or you will lose your password. Something will happen, and I want you to know you’re not crazy if you cry. If you remember nothing else from my comments tonight, remember that when you are struggling, when it feels like everything is not going your way, things do get better.”
Finally, Plinske said, “Unto whom much is given, much is expected. Please don’t ever forget how incredibly lucky you are to receive a scholarship. There are thousands of students who would give anything to be in your shoes, to have the opportunity to go to college and receive financial support to do so.
“You have been given an incredible gift, and it’s up to you to ensure that their investment was a wise one. I challenge you to go to college thinking that you are going to be the one changing the world. If not you, then who? Each and every one of you has the power to make this world a better place. You just have to believe that it’s possible and go after it with all your heart.”
