Achievers

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2001

Aysha Qamar, daughter of Jeanie and Melik Qamar of Pinellas Park, was one of 42 student delegates selected statewide by the Able Trust to attend the Florida Youth Leadership Forum. The forum is a statewide leadership conference for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities. It is scheduled for July 12-15 in Tallahassee.

Aysha, a junior at Pinellas Park High School, works in a community-based instruction job training program and is a volunteer with the Pinellas Park Art Society and Challenger baseball little league.

Kevin Christopher Rivard, son of Debbie and Paul Rivard of St. Petersburg, is one of 21 Florida semifinalists in the 2001 Presidential Scholars program. He is the only student to qualify from Pinellas County.

Semifinalists were selected from more than 2,600 nationwide candidates on the basis of superior achievements, leadership qualities, personal character and involvement in community and school activities.

A senior at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, Kevin is a National Honor Society member and is featured in Who's Who Among American High School Students. He was a Level I award winner for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and a grand prize winner of the Pinellas Youth Symphony concerto competition.

He won the Music for Youth Foundation's second annual $25,000 cash award and has received a full tuition scholarship to the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music.

Masatoshi Mochizuki, son of Debbie Debo-Mochizuki of St. Petersburg and Shin Mochizuki of San Francisco, is a United States Achievement Academy national award winner. The United States Achievement Academy is an organization similar to Who's Who Among American High School Students. It recognizes middle and high school students for academic performance, interest and aptitude, leadership qualities and enthusiasm.

An eighth-grader at Bay Point Middle School, Masatoshi has maintained a 4.0 grade point average and is on the honor roll.

He also is a science Pride Award winner and was nominated for the social studies Pride Award. His essay, "I Am a Peacemaker When," won second place in the Radiant Peace awards.

His name will appear in the United States Achievement Academy official yearbook.

Seven St. Petersburg youths, adult and senior volunteers were honored for their contributions to Pinellas County schools at a ceremony April 23 at Ruth Eckerd Hall:

Tina Boeving, adult volunteer, Lynch Elementary.

Josh Miner, youth volunteer, Tyrone Elementary.

Janet Due, senior volunteer, Bay Point Elementary.

Chelsea Sunseri, youth volunteer, Rawlings Elementary.

Veronica Brown, adult volunteer, Blanton Elementary.

Jamie Rosenkrans, senior volunteer, Skyview Elementary.

Sharon LaTour, Workforce Development volunteer, Dixie Hollins High School.

Chelsea Sunseri and Jamie Rosenkrans were nominated for the Department of Education's Florida Outstanding School Volunteer award.

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