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AMI Chamber awards academic scholarships

AMI Chamber awards academic scholarships

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News.

HOLMES BEACH – The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce recently presented $1,000 scholarships to three outstanding Manatee County students: Gracie Jean-Charles, Torianne Hurst and Callaway Johnson.

The scholarships were presented during a March 27 AMI Chamber event held at the LaPensee Plumbing, Pools and Air headquarters in Holmes Beach and catered by The Feast restaurant.

Charles will graduate from Palmetto High School with an Advanced International Certificate of Education and in the top 3% of her class. Her list of accomplishments includes winning the Yale Book Award by the Suncoast Yale Club and the Manatee County Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year. She also served as a Youth advocate. She will attend the University of Florida to pursue a degree in microbiology.

Hurst will graduate from Manatee High School in the top 4% of her class. Her academic excellence includes being a member of the National Honor Society and the Science National Honors Society. She’s also been a mentor in the Penguins Project at the Manatee Performing Arts Center where she mentored children and adults with disabilities as they performed on stage. She grew up on Anna Maria Island and the Island’s close and supportive community helped her through some difficult times. She will attend Florida State University in pursuit of a degree in computer science.

Johnson will graduate from Manatee High School in the top 3% of her class with an AP Capstone Diploma with five dual enrollment classes and college credits from USF. Callaway is active in sports, clubs and volunteering. She took on leadership roles in the Student Council, Na­tional Honor Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Ballroom Dance and Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors. She was a member of the Sugar Canes dance team and a varsity cheerleader. She plans to attend Baylor University to pursue a degree in accounting.

AMI Chamber awards scholarships

AMI Chamber awards scholarships

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Events.

HOLMES BEACH – The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Business Card Exchange is always a great networking event, but the March 23 event at LaPensee Plumbing, Pools and Air was extra special for three area high school seniors who were each awarded a $1,000 college scholarship by the Chamber.

Evan Christenson, Hannah Ferguson and Terrance Johnson Jr. were on hand to accept their awards and meet Island business owners and managers.

Christenson is graduating from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School with a GPA of 4.24. He is a member of the varsity lacrosse team and volunteers at the AMI Center. Evan has been accepted to Florida State University and will major in finance and law. He hopes to return to Bradenton to establish his career and to dedicate time to help seniors and veterans who need business and or legal services.

Ferguson graduates from Braden River High School and has been engaged in businesses of her own from an early age, from her lemonade stand to her bakery. She became the “leader” in

the classroom as well as captain of the volleyball team and girls’ flag football team. She will major in entrepreneurship and innovations at the University of South Florida next fall. Her dream is to own a successful business on Anna Maria Island.

Johnson graduates through the AICE program at Palmetto High School. The pandemic significantly impacted him with the loss of face-to-face instruction. He overcame the situation by setting and maintaining his own goals to maintain good grades. He will attend Florida A&M University to study business, marketing and information technology.

“These scholarships are open to any Manatee County graduating senior who is pursuing further education, whether it be a four-year degree, two-year degree or a trade school,” AMI Chamber President Terry Kinder said. “The applications are turned in to the Chamber, which has a committee that goes through the applications and scores them, then picks the beneficiaries.”