The Education Foundation of Alachua County (EFAC) will honor 134 graduating seniors with over $580,000 in scholarships at its annual Senior Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 8.
The ceremony will run 6-8 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville (4000 NW 53rd Ave.) and award Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) students with the scholarships from the EFAC’s Senior Scholarships and Take Stock in Children programs.
“Each scholarship awarded represents a door opened and a dream made possible,” said Tia Brock-Paul, the EFCA’s executive director in a press release. “We are proud to stand beside our students as they take their next steps, and we are incredibly grateful to our donors who make these awards possible.”
EFAC is a local non-profit founded in 1986 to support ACPS. According to the release, the organization currently serves 262 students in grades 7–12 with Senior Scholarships, Take Stock in Children and Catalyst for Change scholarship programs funded by local individuals, families, businesses and civic organizations.
On Thursday, 87 students will receive the need, merit and interest-based Senior Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $6,200 and totaling more than $172,000, up over 30% from last year.
The event will also celebrate 51 students who earned a two-year Florida Prepaid Scholarship through the Take Stock in Children program by awarding dozens of scholarships from local supporters.
The program aims to be a multi-year investment in students from low-income backgrounds by combining mentorship and college preparation with the security of access to a college education and is also funded by an endowment fund with the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.
Santa Fe High School senior Alana Seals received a $2,000 Alachua Business League Scholarship and the Outstanding Take Stock in Children Senior from the Class of 2025 award. She said the scholarship is a crucial step toward achieving her life’s goal of making a meaningful impact on the world by helping others.
“My dream is to work in the medical field, a path that is both demanding and costly,” Seals said. “This scholarship provides not only financial support but also a powerful boost of encouragement. It reassures me that I am on the right track and motivates me to keep striving for excellence. Thank you for investing in my future and believing in my potential.”
EFAC said mentoring is a critical component of success for the Take Stock in Children program. Mentors aim to boost student confidence and academic motivation by building trust, providing guidance and serving as positive role models with consistent meetings.
Take Stock in Children will induct 55 new students into the program on May 14 and is looking to recruit 25 new volunteer mentors this month to help support them. There is a critical need for male mentors with 16 boys waiting to be matched.
Anyone interested in volunteering should fill out a mentorship application and a volunteer application, attend a virtual mentor training session, then send confirmations of completion for each to coordinator Kate Clement at conclementka@gm.sbac.edu.
More information on volunteering, sponsoring or applying for scholarships, can be found on the program’s website.