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Highlands Today

Top Students Land Big Scholarships

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By BILL RETTEW JR Highlands Today

Published: July 19, 2008

SEBRING - The Greater Sebring Chamber of Commerce and Alan Jay Wildstein awarded scholarships to a pair of Sebring High School seniors while collecting almost $10,000 toward a scholarship endowment fund Friday at the Kenilworth Lodge.
Chelsea Johnson will attend South Florida Community College and major in business administration and Shea Young will become a dental student. Each nabbed $4,000 college scholarships.

Wildtsein, of Alan Jay Automotive Network, has matched donations made by chamber members for the past 16 years as part of the Alan Jay Automotive Network and the Greater Sebring Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund.
Wildstein hopes that the state will match and add to the fund dollar for dollar.

More than $100,000 has been awarded to students since the program's start in 1992.

"It's one of my favorite things to get to do," said Wildstein. "This is a very giving community. The talent is amazing and its wonderful to be able to see the expressions on the young people's faces and to be able to be part of their lives."

Norm Stephens, president of SFCC, worked on the committee to select the two scholarship winners from a pool of 10 monthly winners.

"It was inspiring to hear their stories," said Stephens, "and to find out what their goals were."
Don Elwell introduced each of the students, who he said were the "best of best" and whose "achievements were staggering."

Elwell surprised the mother of winner Young when he called her at work from the podium on a speaker phone held close to the microphone.

Everyone heard Young announce to his mother, Mary Bengtson, "Mom, I got the scholarship!"

"Whoaaa. Awesome," said Young's mother, while more than 100 chamber members and special guests eavesdropped on the conversation.

Young was a member of the National Honor Society, FBLA, the Art Club, Interact Club and was a drum major with the band. He worked at a deli and was president and historian of the Future Business Leaders of America and a junior class representative.

He earned a 4.1 GPA and was on the honor role for four years of high school.

Johnson worked full-time selling Sprint and Nextel phones, was on the honor roll through high school and earned a GPA of 3.73. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the FBLA, Mu Alpha Theta fraternity.

Both winners chose business teacher Julie Barnett as having the most positive influence on their education and experiences.

Young said he couldn't have achieved as much without Barnett's guidance, while Johnson said the teacher was "there for me though every one of my difficulties during my senior year."

In addition to Barnett, other teachers from Sebring High School were presented with "Outstanding Teacher Awards" including: Tammie Pollard, Carolyn Campbell and Cheryl Rosenbaum. Emily Pausley of Heartland Christian School was also chosen as an outstanding teacher.

Eight other monthly winners picked up $250 gift cards and other prizes. They were: Taylor Bauer, SHS; Lyndsey Cleghorn, SHS; Kaleb Cord, HCS; Indya Martin, SHS; Benjamin Noel, HCS; Araceli Nunez, SHS, Tathiana Rodgers Negron, SHS, and Katie Stewart, HCS.

Bill Rettew Jr. may be contacted at 386-5857 or wrettew@highlandstoday.com

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