Honoring academic, extracurricular excellence

From left, Rotary Club of Ocala-Silver Springs President Bill Cox; scholarship recipients Ella Celano, Colin Elfring, Elizabeth Fernandez, Logan Miller, Madelyn Powers and Ariana Stem; and Scholarship Committee Chairman David Kramer. [Submitted photo]

The Rotary Club of Ocala-Silver Springs recently presented six local high students with scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each.

According to David Kramer, chairman of the scholarship committee, Rotary International is a global network of more than 45,000 clubs and about 1.2 million “neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.”

“We provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through our fellowship of business, professional and community leaders,” Kramer noted in an email message.

“On behalf of our club’s president, Bill Cox, and the entire membership of the Rotary Club of Ocala-Silver Springs, I am pleased to announce that on April 9 we presented six outstanding high school seniors with our Community Service Scholarship of $1,500. Each student lives in and attends high school in Marion County. These students were selected from those who applied for our scholarship. In addition to completing the application, the students were asked to write an essay entitled ‘What Service Above Self Means to Me’ and a short biography, and to attend an interview with our scholarship committee. We are enormously proud of this group of students,” Kramer stated.

The students, their high school and college or university are:

• Ella Celano, Redeemer Christian School, Florida State University
• Colin Elfring, Forest High School, Florida State University
• Elizabeth Fernandez, Trinity Catholic High School, Florida International University
• Logan Miller, Belleview High School, Tallahassee State College and then Florida State University
• Madelyn Powers, Redeemer Christian School, Lee University or Florida State University 
• Ariana Stem, Bellview High School, University of Florida

“While in high school, these students volunteered more than 3,000 community service hours in 47 different ways. They helped make Ocala and Marion County a great place to live. They participated in 46 extracurricular activities during their high school years, including but not limited to the National Honor Society; school based academic clubs, musicals, bands, student government and varsity sports; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; Royal Family Kids Camp; and churches. These students were leaders in most of these organizations. They did all this while maintaining an average GPA of 4.4,” Kramer continued.   

Each student also has committed to volunteering his or her time while in college and after they graduate.

“They know about the joy of a servant’s heart, and they believe in our motto, ‘Service Above Self,’” Kramer shared.

The 2026 Scholarship Committee also included Cox, Sue Amsden, Mary Hall, Lisa Nevels Slocum, Teresa Stephens, Wynn Vickers and Sonny Vinson.

To learn more about the club, find it on social media at fb.com/OcalaSilverSpringsRotary/