Tampa Bay's Top Ten STEM Students to be Honored at Statewide Conference

Tallahassee, Fla., May 17, 2017 – The Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Foundation are recognizing 10 of Tampa Bay’s highest-achieving eleventh grade STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students at the Sunshine State Scholars conference May 19-20. The two-day conference, presented by Lockheed Martin, celebrates the accomplishments of Florida’s elite students and provides a unique venue for the state’s colleges, universities and employers to recruit their talents.

“I am pleased to congratulate each of these Sunshine State Scholars for receiving this tremendous academic accomplishment and being selected to represent their school districts,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. “It is my hope that during this two-day event, these outstanding scholars will learn more about the higher education and career opportunities we have here in Florida and that they will consider pursuing their dreams in the Sunshine State.”

Listed below are the scholars in the Tampa Bay area who are being recognized as the highest-achieving eleventh grade students.

• Citrus County
  • Nicholas Andres Lahera, Lecanto High School
• Hernando County
  • Alison Pager, Hernando High School
• Hillsborough County
  • Grant J. LoPresti, Steinbrenner High School
  • Robert Schofner, H.B. Plant High School
• Pasco County
  • Shivadarshan Murali, Gulf High School
• Pinellas County
  • Virginia Weaver, Boca Ciega High School
  • Andrew Whigham, Seminole High School
• Polk County
  • Cory Baker, Frostproof Middle-Senior High School
  • Haley Nicole Fry, Summerlin Academy
• Sumter County
  • Tiffany Liu, The Villages Charter School

Event sponsors for this year’s Sunshine State Scholars program include Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Universal Orlando, Blue Man Group, Florida Lottery, Helios Education Foundation, Kyra Solutions, SeaWorld Parks & Resorts, Microsoft Corporation, Florida Department of Education – School Choice Office, Florida Power & Light, Publix Super Markets Charities, Arthrex, Inc., IBM, AppRiver, Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida and University of West Florida.

For a list of scholars and more information about the event, visit Sunshine State Scholars.

About the Florida Education Foundation

As a valued partner to public education, the Florida Education Foundation’s mission is to invest in high achievement for every student to contribute to Florida's globally competitive workforce. The Foundation is the direct support organization for the Florida Department of Education. 

For more information, visit Florida Education Foundation.