“Souper” Scholarships

It was standing room only at the monthly Chamber After Five meet-up hosted by CJ’s on the Bay at the Esplanade on Wednesday, May 20th.

With the Chamber of Commerce Souper Bowl Leadership Marco Scholarships being the special item on the docket to be presented, the high school student recipients and their family of supporters boosted the typical attendance with an additional layer of excitement.

Chamber President Rick Popoff welcomed the members and the visiting students with their families. He was sure to give heartfelt praise to the Phelan Family Brand and CJ’s for hosting this meaningful presentation for the last 12 years.

After a shoutout to the Marco Island city council members in the crowd, that included newly appointed councilor Kevin Dohm, he welcomed a few new businesses to the chamber. One being Dr. Van Dyke from Island Tower Dentistry, who shared his thankfulness to be included in the city’s dynamic group of businesses.

Leadership Marco Souper Bowl Scholarship Committee Chair and longstanding Chamber Board member Jacki Strategos and Chamber Executive Director Dianna Dohm took to the mic following Popoff.

“These scholarships are all the result of the Souper Bowl.” Dohm began, going on to thank the volunteers who work behind the scenes to make this city favorite event happen, “The net profits from Souper Bowl go to our scholarships. And we're very proud to be able to distribute nine scholarships today.”

The nine student recipients each had to fill out an application, complete an essay, meet certain grade requirements, offer referrals, and complete an in-person interview for consideration by the Scholarship Committee.

“This is the most fun part of my job!” Dohm smiled at the students and then the crowd, “It's the most fun part because these are the future leaders of Marco Island here. Once they get done with their four years and go explore, they come back and get jobs here. They contribute to their economy. They're very, very important to us.”

Strategos said, “I was so proud to be part of this, this year. I've been doing this for about seven years now, and we had an incredible group of applicants. They were so fun to interview.” She smiled while looking at the students.

As each deserving student was called up one by one to accept their scholarship, Strategos took the time to share with the attendees the many achievements, accolades, club involvements, and university plans with majors intended for each.

Along with their scholarship, every student received a warm handshake from Popoff and a well-deserved round of applause from the crowd of peers, beaming family members, and community leaders.

The students who received scholarships are:

Tristan Roberts: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be attending Florida State University and plans to major in finance with a career plan of becoming a corporate lawyer.

John Toledo: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be going to the University of Central Florida and plans to major in Mechanical Engineering with a career plan of involvement in robotics automation and aerospace research and development.

Logan Terreri: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be going to the University of Florida and plans to major in applied physiology and kinesiology with a career plan in physical therapy.

Julia Berger: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, she will be going to Belmont University and plans to major in nursing with a career plan to earn a BSN, work on a critical unit, then pursue an advanced degree in nursing to become either a DNP, a CRNA, or an NP.

Melanie Zarate Centeno: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, she will be going to Florida Atlantic University and plans to major in political science with a career plan in immigration.

Aiden Karl: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be going to the University of Florida and plans to major in finance with a career plan of becoming a lawyer.

Alessandra Alber: A graduate of Lely High School, she will be going to Florida Gulf Coast University and plans to major in exercise science with career plans of becoming a physical therapist.

Veleon Nazarko: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be going to Florida State University and plans to major in computer science and cybersecurity, with career plans in computer science and potentially finance, and hopefully attending law school.

Mekyle Nazarko: A graduate of Marco Island Academy, he will be going to the University of Florida and plans to double major in finance and computer science with career plans in private equity and consulting.