Semifinalists named for Times scholarship

Forty-eight high school seniors have been chosen as semifinalists for the 2002 St. Petersburg Times Scholarship. More than 320 students from Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties applied.

The scholarship program, which was created by the newspaper in 1999, is for students who demonstrate academic achievement, financial need, participation in extracurricular activities and community service and who have succeeded in overcoming significant obstacles in their lives. The scholarship is worth up to $15,000 per year for four years at an accredited U.S. college or university. So far, the newspaper has awarded $120,000 in scholarships.

The 20 young men and 28 young women now must complete the second portion of the application, answering essay questions and supplying family financial information and letters of recommendation from a high school counselor and another adult. That information will be reviewed in early February, and 10 finalists will be selected. The finalists will be interviewed in St. Petersburg in late February. The four winners will be announced in mid March.

The scholarships are funded by the St. Petersburg Times Scholarship Fund, which has been assisting students financially since 1953.

The previous eight winners are enrolled at Duke University in Durham, N.C.; Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.; St. John's College in Annapolis, Md; Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Rice University in Houston; Tulane University in New Orleans; and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Here are the semifinalists and their schools:

Citrus County

Lindsay Ersch, Citrus High School

Andrea Kirch, Lecanto High School

Jassmine Sarratt, Lecanto High School

Stephen Smith, Citrus High School

Chester Wheeler, Citrus High School

Hernando County

Justin Annibali, Springstead High School

Mathew Citarella, Springstead High School

Chad Jones, Hernando High School

Gypsie MacSweeney, Central High School

Jane McDonald, Central High School

Hillsborough County

Thy Do, Robinson High School

Jill Duemig, Durant High School

Kelly Garcon, Tampa Bay Technical High School

Jamaris Glenn, Hillsborough High School

Okheyla Knight, Tampa Bay Technical High School

My Phu Le, Durant High School

Raquel-Marie Nelson, Tampa Bay Technical High School

Vu Nguyen, Hillsborough High School

Nicole Nicophene, Tampa Bay Technical High School

Monica Ospina, Tampa Bay Technical High School

Geoffrey Powers, Gaither High School

Manar Sarsour, Wharton High School

Jaremy Shelton, Armwood High School

Kelly Wheeler, Sickles High School

David Williams, Tampa Bay Technical High School

Pasco County

Emilia Antosiewicz, Mitchell High School

Sara Gagen, Mitchell High School

Emin Hadziosmanovic, Ridgewood High School

Christopher Hurtado, Hudson High School

Jeremiah Jones, Hudson High School

Icela Loza-Agreda, Pasco High School

Maika Nguyen, Gulf High School

Benjamin Overstreet, Hudson High School

Sarah Sommerfield, Hudson High School

Pinellas County

Shawn Beard, Shorecrest Preparatory School

Marian Cobb, Boca Ciega High School

Dajana Dankic, Seminole High School

Ross Felsher, St. Petersburg High School

David Herrington, Largo High School

Bethany Himpler, Palm Harbor University High School

Wanyda Jean-Baptiste, Pinellas Park High School

Jacqueline Leone, Tarpon Springs High School

Cynthia McKinney, Northeast High School

Peter Pasek, St. Petersburg High School

Kimmeuy Phane, Gibbs High School

Stacy Thornhill, Dixie Hollins High School

Antonios Vezyropoulos, Tarpon Springs High School

Matthew Wanson, Clearwater High School

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