Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 5-27-16 Online Edition

Class Of 2016
Sixty-Six Students Chosen As National Merit Finalists
This year, there are 66 Na- tional Merit Finalists repre- senting schools in Hillsborough County. The stu- dents represent twelve public high schools.
The students were chosen based on their academic record, scores from standard- ized tests, contributions and leadership in school, an essay submitted, and a recommen- dation from a high school rep- resentative.
Robinson High School led the district, closely followed by King, Hillsborough and Straw- berry Crest High Schools.
Approximately 15,000 stu- dents became National Merit Finalists, half of which will re- ceive scholarships as National Merit students.
Charles M. Jones and Dilina V. Weerapperuma are the National Merit Final- ists from Alonso High School.
Ngoc-Linh C. Huynh is a finalist who attends Bran- don.
Two finalists attending Freedom High School are Austin Kee and Sky Rus- sell.
Hillsborough High School has ten students who were chosen as National Merit Fi- nalists. They are: Malvika A. Bapna, Enzo Cabrera, Daniel C. Hamilton, Gia- vanna L. Jadick, Carolyn C. Ogden, William N.
Petro, Sameer M. Puri, Emma Rodriguez, Shelby A. Shoup, and Jiaxin Xie.
There are twelve students who attend King High School selected as National Merit Fi- nalists. They are: Juan S. Ayala, Vignesh C. Bhethanabotla, Richa Bisht, Emily S. Cheng, Sunmi Jin, Rachna S. Ka- math, Eugene Y. Luo, Shashank Mahesh, Hemal Prasad, Jonathan T. Ptak, Shreya Shivan, and Pran- jal Tyagi.
Alexander N. Hoang
represents Middleton High School as the National Merit Finalist.
Representing Newsome High School as National Merit Finalists are Cameron T. Hyati, Elizabeth K. Kirby, Charles D. Sharp, and Grant M. Sieboldt.
This year, with 14 students, Robinson High School has the highest number of National Merit Finalists in Hillsbor- ough County. They are: Claire Chen, Kevin Y. Chen, Joshua R. Cruz, Kelly P. Dorsey, Jackson G. Dougherty, Bianca C. Dyer, Carson B. Ellis, Zoe O. Gray, Alice S. Lee, Michael D. Marinskiy, Virginia J. Paight, Cameron N. Ramey, Mitchell S. Tozian, and Jake H. Yancey.
Blake Senior Overcomes Adversity To Attend College
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
If you would have sat down and talked to 18-year-old Donte Glover three years ago, he would have painted a bleak picture of his future.
At the age of 15, Donte was arrested and charged as an adult while living in North Boulevard Homes. He was charged with three counts of robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon, and was look- ing at spending 40 years in prison.
Donte spent almost 6 months in jail, and attended classes so he wouldn’t be left behind his classmates. He said he wanted to keep his dream alive of being the first in his family to attend college.
His brush with the law, as it turned out, there was no firearm, only a pellet gun, and it wasn’t in Donte’s posses- sion at the time. The system took a chance on him, based on people who cared about him, who were willing to step for- ward, and who believed this young man’s life was worth saving.
For the past four years, Howard W. Blake football de- fensive backs coach, Duane
Coach Duane Thomas and Donte Glover.
Thomas has been Donte’s mentor and guardian. He’s seen Donte evolve from a teenager with a questionable future, to a young man who was among this year’s 2016 Jetie B. Wilds, Jr. Youth Lead- ership and Community Service Scholarship recipients.
“When I first met Donte, he was very stressed, but al- ways polite. He never disre- spected those in authority, and maintained his manners.
“I found out that Donte wanted to do more with his life, and had set goals and
dreams that were being dis- tracted because of what was going on in his home and in his community.”
Coach Thomas also coached Donte in track and field.
Coach Thomas said he shared some of his life experi- ences, and told Donte to just push and keep going, no mat- ter what was going on in his life.
“Now, he wants to set a good example for his little brother.”
Donte has been awarded a partial scholarship to attend Division II National Champion Northwest Missouri State Uni- versity. He’s excited and look- ing forward to the next chapter of his life.
Donte’s mother, Yvonne Glover, is very proud of her son, and with other family members, have supported him through every step of his life.
Donte will be seeking a de- gree in psychology. He plans on using that expertise as the owner of a funeral home, and he will be performing some volunteer hours at local funeral homes to get a feel for the in- dustry. He will also be gradu- ating from Blake with honors and a 4.23GPA.
Three Men Of Vision Members To Graduate
ANTHONY HENDERICK
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Educators, family members and friends will gather at the Florida State Fairgrounds on June 2nd, for the graduation ceremonies of Steinbrenner High School. This year, ap- proximately 582 students will graduate.
Among those entering into young adulth00d, three mem- bers of Men Of Vision Service Club will be among them. Each of them also plans to attend an institution of higher learning.
Anthony Henderick is graduating with a 4.13 grade point average. Anthony is the grandson of Mrs. Elaine Smith and is a member of New Mount Zion M. B. Church.
Anthony divided his time
DANIEL SMITHEN
between Men of Vision, the Mime Ministry, and Posimto. His honors and awards include the HEF Scholarship, Leader- ship, Community Services, and the Fellowship Club. He plans to attend Santa Fe College.
Daniel Smithen, 18, is the son of Ms. Angella Smithen and Dexter Smithen. He is a member of El Bethel Tabernacle and plans to attend Florida State Univer- sity.
His honors and awards in- clude the HEF Scholarship, Leadership, Community Serv- ices, and the Fellowship Club.
Daniel, who maintained a 4.13 grade point average, was the Overall Secretary for Men of Vision. He was also a mem- ber of the Paintball Club, Na- tional Honor Society, BETA, and the Environmental Club.
Ms. Wandora Brown, mother of Henry Tillman, Jr., and Ms. Vilma John- son, his grandmother, will be on hand to watch this young man graduate. His “Pops,” is Ross Anderson.
Henry, 19, is a member of Jackson Heights Church Of Christ and is graduating with a 3.0 grade point average.
His honors and awards in- clude the HEF Scholarship, Leadership, Community Serv- ices, and the Fellowship Club. Henry is the Overall President of the Middle School Chapter of Men of Vision, a member of the Paintball Club, and the ROTC.
Henry plans to attend Hillsborough Community Col- lege and plans to join the U. S. Army at some point in the near future.
HENRY TILLMAN, JR.
PAGE 14-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016