2008 Barnes Scholarship

Making a difference in your life ... so you can make a difference in the lives of others.

2008 Barnes winners selected

Names of the 2008 Finalists

Names of the 2008 Semifinalists

Forty-four high school seniors have been named semifinalists for the 2008 Barnes Scholarships.

A total of 265 students from public and private schools in Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties applied.

A Barnes Scholarship, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc., is worth up to $60,000 over four years at an accredited U.S. college or university. Each year, four winners are selected. This year, the fund will provide more than $200,000 in financial aid to college students through the Barnes Scholarships.

Established by the Fund in 1999, the scholarships were renamed in 2004 to honor Andrew Barnes, chairman and CEO of the St. Petersburg Times upon his retirement.  They target college-bound teens who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives while remaining committed to academic achievement and community involvement.

The 16 young men and 28 young women who are the 2008 semifinalists now must complete the second portion of the application, answering essay questions and supplying financial information, a high school transcript and letters of recommendation from school counselors and other adults.

The information will be reviewed in early January and 10 finalists will be selected. They will be interviewed in St. Petersburg in late January. Four winners will be announced in February.

Since 2000, 16 Barnes scholars have graduated from college. Sixteen are still enrolled at such universities as Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, Columbia, Ohio State, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago, and the University of California-Berkeley.

The St. Petersburg Times Fund, the not-for-profit philanthropic arm of the Times Publishing Co., has provided scholarships for college students since 1953.
For information about the Barnes Scholarship program, contact Nancy Waclawek, director of the St. Petersburg Times Fund Inc., at (727) 893-8780.