For Immediate Release: May 2, 2008

Contacts:
John Denny (jdenny@honors.ufl.edu, 352-392-1519) or Regan Garner (rlgarner@ufl.edu, 352-392-1519)

EIGHT STUDENTS SELECTED FOR LOMBARDI SCHOLARSHIP

GAINESVILLE, FL - The University of Florida is pleased to announce the selection of eight additional participants in the Lombardi Scholars Program. The program is in its seventh year, and the eight additional students will maintain the program at 32 participants.

Each year, students who exemplify John V. Lombardi's commitment to academic excellence, community service, leadership, and public responsibility are selected as recipients of this prestigious award program. Lombardi Scholars will receive a scholarship for four years of study at UF; they will also be matched with a faculty mentor in their field and will receive support for overseas study and leadership experiences. Florida high schools were invited to nominate one student, and winners were selected from 135 nominees and 18 finalists.

Students in the first year of the program spend six weeks participating in an overseas study program in Merida, the capital of the Yucatan in Mexico during the summer before they begin at UF. All the students will participate in the Honors Program at the University of Florida.

The eight Lombardi Scholars who have accepted the John V. Lombardi scholarship beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year are:

Heather Belle: Belle is a senior at Freedom High School in Tampa, where she serves as Mu Alpha Theta President, Beta Honors Society Vice President, and Science Club Secretary. She is also Drum Major of the Marching Patriot Band, receiving a superior rating by the Florida Bandmaster's Association. An accomplished pianist and clarinetist, Belle also received superior ratings at the Solo and Ensemble performances and Quad County Honor Band. Belle was selected for the Anne Frank Humanitarian award in recognition of her four-hundred plus hours of community service. She and her sister co-founded a service project named Krafts for Pawz creating and selling crafts to raise funds for the Tampa Humane Society. She also volunteered at University Community Hospital throughout high school, working in multiple surgical departments. Belle intends to study Biomedical Engineering and pursue a career in pediatric oncology research.

Tara Braun: Braun is a senior at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa. She has been named a National Merit Finalist and was a Semifinalist in the 2007 USA Biology Olympiad. Last year as Co-Director of the Writing Center's Stanford Study, Braun was part of a research team that created an experiment testing the effectiveness of online versus face-to-face tutoring. She was invited to present the findings to the International Writing Center Association in Houston, Texas. As a member of Advanced Drama, Braun has participated in several of her school's theatre productions, including the Boys Next Door and The Miracle Worker. A member of her school's Honor Council, Cum Laude Society, and National Honor Society, Braun plans to study Biology and eventually pursue a career in medicine.

Travis Hornsby: Ranked as Valedictorian of his International Baccalaureate class at Pensacola High School, Hornsby has also been named a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction. An Eagle Scout with the Bronze, Gold, and Silver Eagle Palms, he is an assistant Scoutmaster for his troop, was awarded the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, and was named Arrowman of the Year in the western Florida Panhandle. As President of Brain Bowl Club and Captain of the Escambia County All-Star Academic Team, Hornsby has been a part of the 1st and 2nd place wins at the statewide Commissioner's Academic Challenge the past two years and was part of a team that made it to the playoff round at the National Academic Quiz Championship in Chicago in 2007. Also an International Thespian Society Member, Hornsby has performed in every school play since his freshman year.

Jamie Mann: Mann will graduate this year from the orchestral music program at New World School of the Arts, a top performing arts magnet high school in Miami. A National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar, Mann has been an active leader in his school and community, serving as president of Mu Alpha Theta, the school orchestra and the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. He is also a writer, actor, and producer for Holocaust Impact Theater, a social action theater group which combats intolerance and its dangers in society. Mann was awarded the Biomedical Research Honors Student Summer Scholarship from the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, where he performed research on the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmunity with specific focus on systemic lupus erythematosus. He plans to focus his studies in the areas of math and science and perform research with the ultimate goal of serving as an educator and ambassador for science and science education worldwide.

John Moran: Moran is the student body president of Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, where he also served as freshman, sophomore, and junior class president. A National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar, he was one of two students selected to represent Florida at the prestigious US Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C. He is active in several community service projects including Habitat for Humanity, Kids Vote, AIDS Walk, Christmas Family Adoption, Teen Trendsetters mentoring program, and volunteering for the homeless shelter. He has participated for six years in the 4-H Mock Legislature, where he served as House Speaker. A member of the Tallahassee Democrat Teen Board, Moran has published fourteen op-ed columns and letters to the editor. He has participated in State History Fair three times and advanced to National History Day twice. Moran plans to major in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in International Studies.

Alison Ponn: Ponn is a senior at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek. A 4-year member of the marching band and drumline, she served as Co-Captain of the drumline as a junior, and is currently Captain. She earned five Superior Solo and Ensemble Medals for percussion and one for piano from the Florida Bandmaster Association and is third chair in percussion for the All-County Band in Broward County. Ponn has played for and interacted with hundreds of underprivileged and ill children, participating in numerous trips to Give Kids the World in Orlando, two European Charity Band Tours and performances at hospitals and parades. She is President of the Math Team, chairperson of National Honor Society Tutoring, and president of the Ecology Club. Ponn intends to study biology and plans to work in the field of genetic research.

Alyssa Prats: Prats is a senior at the largest public high school in the nation, Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida. She is a National Ventures Scholar, a senator for the National Honor Society and a member of the Spanish Honor Society. She was among a select group of leaders from across the nation chosen for the Freedom's Foundation Valley Forge Leadership Conference. A cheerleader throughout high school, Prats was selected by the USAA as Best All-Around for 2 years and has been a four-year captain for the 3C Dance Team. Prats has logged over 400 hours of community service coordinating fundraisers for various charities, organizing collection drives for the underprivileged, working with special needs individuals, helping homeless organizations, and leading children and youth programming at her church. She founded and has operated her own math tutoring business for the past two years and works part-time at a retail gift store. Prats plans to obtain a Master's degree in Accounting with a minor in Math Education.

Joseph Prusa: Prusa is a senior at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, where he majors in visual arts with academic foci in mathematics and physics. He has been recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction as well as a National Merit Finalist. Outside of school Prusa volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and attends yo-yo competitions and conventions. Currently the State of Florida Yo-Yo Champion (with two consecutive wins), he helped set a Guinness World record for the most people yo-yoing at one time and is collaborating with fellow yo-yo competitors in the design and machining of an aluminum yo-yo. Prusa intends to double major in physics and fine art at UF.