Ten student-citizens honored
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce has recognized 10 students for its Citizen of the Month program. Teachers and administration at individual schools nominate students for their exemplary efforts, achievements and contributions to their school, family and community. Students receiving honors for the month of December are: Nicholas Dester, The Academy of Spectrum Diversity; Wyatt Farland, The Broach School; Yareliz Pagan Lopez, Chester Taylor Elementary School; Aniya Harrison, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Madisyn Wright, Heritage Academy; Jaylin Jackson, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School; Chloee Dutton, West Zephyrhills Elementary School; Ricky Jiang, Woodland Elementary School; Jeira Melendez, Zephyrhills Christian Academy; and, Lakisia Thomas, Zephyrhills High School.
Winter commencement
Pasco-Hernando State College hosted two winter commencement ceremonies on Dec. 11, to honor graduates earning bachelor degrees, associate degrees, and certificates.
This year’s fall graduates included many ambitious and accomplished students, and some who have encountered adversity in pursuit of a higher education.
Meclina Priestley, of Wesley Chapel, earned an Associate of Arts in drafting and design technology, with honors.
Priestley is a single mother of three daughters, a successful artist, and an Art Fellow at the James Weldon Johnson Foundation.
She also is an artist-in-residence at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel, and a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the SkillsUSA club.
Hunter Karius, of Weeki Wachee, is a full-time, first-generation college student who earned his Associate in Arts, with honors.
Karius is the North Campus Student Government Association president, a student ambassador, an enrollment management specialist in the Academic Success Center, and the Florida College System Student Government Association Region Two coordinator.
He plans to attend Nova Southeastern University to study biological sciences, followed by dental school.
Patricia Jauregui, of Dade City, overcame many obstacles, from kidney failure and a transplant as a teen, to developing breast cancer when she was 22 years old.
Jauregui is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Psi Beta. She earned an Associate in Science in nursing, with honors.
She aspires to work as a nurse either in pediatric oncology or in breast oncology.
Adriana Huapilla, of Dade City, has served East Campus as a student ambassador and Student Government Association vice president.
She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Phi Beta Lambda, and is the first generation in her family to earn an Associate in Arts.
Huapilla balances being a full-time student with a full-time job, and often drives family members from home to school or work.
She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in supervision and management, with a concentration in public safety.
Steeven Andrade, of Wesley Chapel, was born in Ecuador and moved to the United States three years ago. It was his first time in college, in another country, and in another language.
By the fall of 2018, he was the Student Government Association vice president at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.
Andrade earned an Associate in Arts, with honors.
He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in management, with a minor in global business, at the University of South Florida, while working at Publix.
Approximately 345 degrees and certificates were conferred at the winter commencement ceremonies.
Local student recognized as a ‘hero’
Pasco High School student Sally Campbell was honored at a recent hockey game as a Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero of Tomorrow.
Campbell was awarded a $25,000 scholarship and a $25,000 grant to the Hope Lodge, on behalf of Campbell’s nonprofit, Sallybrating With a Cause (And a Little Bit of Paws), which supports community charities, including animals.
Local student attends UN conference
Jacob Goetz, of Odessa, was among the 12 students with Tallahassee Community College’s Model UN team that traveled to Washington D.C., to attend the Model United Nations conference. The group of students represented Spain, and received plaudits for their work, and visited historical sites.
The overall work of the team in their respective UN committees earned them an Honorable Delegation Award.
Two students, Ramlah Mahboob and Sean Rutten, were recognized with a Position Paper Award, based on their research and written policies submitted to the conference.
Student achievement
Ether Olatunji, of Lutz, graduated from the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at Florida A&M University.
Olaunji was among more than 600 students who received degrees during the school’s winter commencements.
