Bobby Fund presents 12 scholarship awards
Dedicated to the youth of Pine Island, the members of the Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Fund were pleased to present scholarships to 12 deserving island students. This year’s recipients are Megan Coite, Joshua Cox, Caleb Davis, Maria Sansone, Brandi Schulte, Kaitlin Smith, Kacey Herrin, Caitlin Holloway, Nicole Ingelido, Zach Kibbe, Tyler Marzella and Haley Warner.
A Bokeelia resident, Coite is the daughter of Richard and Betsy Coite and recently graduated from North Fort Myers High School. Megan plans to attend Florida Gulf Coast this fall to study elementary education and aspires to be a kindergarten through second grade teacher.
“It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember to be a kindergarten teacher. I love children more than words can express and I want nothing more than to wake up every day with a smile on my face, welcoming the work day ahead of me,” Megan said. “I’m so excited to get my degree. I’ll work with children and partake in their thriving imaginations as they learn and grow.”
Cox is a native to Pineland where he lives with his parents, Steve and Alisa Cox. After graduation from Mariner High School, Justin plans to attend Southwest Florida College and will enroll in a two-year program with dual majors in computer animation/multimedia and digital design and hopes to eventually work for VIZ Media Corporation or Disney.
“My long-time ambition has been to become an artist, working in the field of animation,” said Joshua. “My parents have taught me that I can accomplish anything that I can set my mind to if I just keep trying and never give up. A degree in animation opens up doors to many possibilities in the workforce. Animation can range from comic books to Disney Interactive. It is also widely used in illustrations, TV, movies and gaming. There are plenty of positions for this kind of work out there.”
Another life-long resident of Pine Island, Davis resides in Pineland with his parents, Chris and Janice Davis, and is completing his education at Ida S. Baker High School and Edison State College. He plans to continue at Edison to become a licensed registered nurse and eventually a nurse anesthesiologist.
“Getting this scholarship will assist me by giving me the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve my goals,” Caleb said.
The daughter of Bokeelia resident Ann Sansone, Maria will be graduating from Mariner High School this year and plans to continue her education at Hi Tech Central to pursue a career in child development and pediatric nursing.
“The course in child development will assist in furthering my education along with the information I learned working at Creative Coast Pre-school,” said Maria. “I will be obtaining a degree in pediatric nursing after completing this course and need to succeed in this course in order to succeed in the other course.”
Also a Bokeelia resident, Schulte is the daughter of Sherry and Bill Schulte. After graduating from Mariner, Brandi will be attending the University of South Florida to work towards a career in criminology.
“As an adult, I hope to achieve my dream of working as a criminal profiler in the FBI where I can help others by detaining a criminal before he is able to hurt another person,” Brandi said. “My education will assist me in getting a degree of specialization and my chances of working with the FBI will increase, therefore enabling my chances of being able to help out my country. A dream within reach.”
Smith resides in Pineland with her father, Russell Smith, and will soon graduate from Mariner High School. This fall, she will attend Johnson and Wales to study culinary baking.
“I would like one day to own my own bakery and the program at Johnson and Wales University will give me both the techniques and business sense to run my own business,” said Kaitlin.
A continuing student, Herrin is the daughter of Roger and Kathy Herrin and a long-time resident of Pine Island. A graduate of Mariner High, she is now attending Florida Gulf Coast University where she is taking classes as a junior for a major in occupational Therapy.
“All through high school, my favorite classes were anatomy and physiology or anything that had to do with health and the human body,” said Kacey. “I love learning about these subjects and I can’t wait to further my comprehension in this field of work.”
Holloway, native of Pine Island, is the daughter of Robin Holloway. She will be a sophomore at Edison College this year working toward a degree in business marketing and advertising.
“My education will assist me in my future endeavors in getting into the business marketing and advertising world,” said Caitlin. “I hope to achieve many things as an adult, but most of all I want to be a successful woman with a strong belief in myself and my supportive family.”
A graduate of Mariner and Bokeelia resident, Ingelido is the daughter of Tim and Eileen Ingelido. She is currently attending Ave Maria School of Law where she recently completed her first of two years.
“I want to be an attorney to help people, promote justice, protect those who can’t protect themselves and to give back to my family and community,” Nicole said. “With my specialized training, I can help more individuals in more ways.”
Returning to Edison College this year, Kibbe is the son of Merri jo Darna and Alan Kibbe, residents of Bokeelia. He is currently working toward a career in the medical field.
“This education will help me tremendously and, if given a chance, I can be successful,” said Zachary.
Born and raised on Pine Island, Marzella is the son of Joe and Deborah Marzella. He has attended Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and will be graduating with a BS in criminal justice from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2012.
“After completing all of my schooling, I plan on pursuing a career in federal law enforcement, perhaps as a special agent in the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife,” Tyler said. “I have a desire to protect our natural resources so that they can be enjoyed by our descendents, just as we enjoy them today.”
Living in St. James City with her parents Donald and Terra Warner, Warner is a nursing student at Nova Southeastern.
“My degree will enable me to become a labor and delivery nurse and I also plan continue on to graduate school if resources allow,” Haley said. “I am also aware however, that as I continue to gain more experience and knowledge in the clinical setting, the goals and aspirations I have now for my future as a nurse may change. That is the greatness of nursing, there are so many pathways to take.”
Funds for these scholarships were raised by members of the Bobby Board during its annual Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Fishing Tournament. The next fund raiser planned by the board is the second annual Pine Island Big Fin Shark Tournament to be held on June 26. For more information, visit hollowaytourney.org