ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – After an amazing display of talent, The Pinellas Education Foundation is proud to announce the winners in The 14th Annual Walker’s Rising Stars Scholarship Competition, presented by Bill Edwards Presents, Inc. and sponsored by Kane’s Furniture and Crown Automotive Group. The event was attended by an estimated 600 member audience at Mahaffey Theater on Tuesday, May 9 and had approximately 4,500 virtual fans through its “Fan Favorite” online voting on Facebook. Approximately $60,000 in scholarships and prizes was given by the Pinellas Education Foundation.
The Ryan Wells Foundation provided scholarships for the three finalists in the Culinary Arts category.
Culinary Arts:
1st place and a $1,500 scholarship: Summer Huelle, Senior Tarpon Springs High School
2nd place and a $1,000 scholarship: Amanda Cooke, Senior, Osceola High School
3rd place and a $500 scholarship: Joseph Enriquez, Senior, Northeast High School
First place winners in the other arts categories each received a $5,000 scholarship. They were:
Dance: Maria White, Junior, Dunedin High School
Instrumental: Bo Fei Wang, Junior, Palm Harbor University High School
Theater: Addam Setzer., Senior, Gibbs High School
Visual Art: Hannah Jurgens, Senior, Osceola Fundamental High School
Vocal Music: Lindsey Collins, Senior, Palm Harbor University High School
The overall Fan Favorite winners were Solie White and Ernesto Perez. As the Fan Favorites, they received a MacBook Pro Laptop.
The other scholarships in each category are as follows:
Dance:
2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship: Nicole Robinson, Senior, Gibbs High School
3rd place and a $2,000 scholarship: Kiera Morgan, Senior, Gibbs High School
4th place and a $1,000 scholarship: Cristina Brown, Junior, Palm Harbor University High School
Instrumental:
2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship: Jonathan O’Brien, Senior, Gibbs High School
3rd place and a $2,000 scholarship: Robert Diaz, Junior, Tarpon Springs High School
4th place and a $1,000 scholarship: Anna Eaton, Senior, Gibbs High School
Theater:
2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship: Ethan Zeph, Senior, Gibbs High School
3rd place and a $2,000 scholarship: Ramiro Capano, Senior, Palm Harbor University High School
4th place and a $1,000 scholarship: Shayna Gilberg, Junior, Palm Harbor University High School
Visual Art:
2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship: Ernesto Perez, Junior, Gibbs High School
3rd place and a $2,000 scholarship: Malik McClain, Senior, Largo High School
4th place and a $1,000 scholarship: Marica James, Senior, Gibbs High School
Vocal:
2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship: Amanda McAllister, Senior, Gibbs High School
3rd place and a $2,000 scholarship: Solie White, Senior, Boca Ciega High School
4th place and a $1,000 scholarship: Noah Diggs, Junior, Gibbs High School
The event also featured the Tarpon Springs High Jazz Ensemble throughout the show.
More than 250 juniors and seniors from Pinellas County Schools applied to compete in the seven-month process of auditions and adjudication. Sponsors of the event include Bill Edwards Presents, Inc., Dr. Jeffrey Walker, Kane’s Furniture, Crown Automotive Group, Suncoast Credit Union, Raymond James, Clearwater Gas Systems, Ditek, Humana, Northern Trust, City of St. Petersburg.
Additional high resolution photos of each performance and general event pictures are available upon request and some will be found on our Facebook Page.
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Maria White takes first in the Dance Category |
Lindsey Collins wins first place in the Vocal Category |
Bo Fei Wang wins first place in the Instrumental Category |
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Addam Setzer wins first place in the Theater Category |
Hannah Jurgens took first place in the Visual Arts Category |
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All first place winners pose for a group photo. |
About Pinellas County Schools
Pinellas County Schools is the seventh largest school district in Florida and 24th largest in the nation, serving more than 101,997 K12 students at 132 schools. With more than 17,000 employees, the school district is the largest employer in the county. The vision of Pinellas County Schools is 100% Student Success. We encourage parents, business leaders and community members to partner with us in our mission to educate and prepare each student for college, career and life.
About The Pinellas Education Foundation
The Pinellas Education Foundation is an independent, non-governmental not-for-profit established in 1986. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance and improve educational opportunities in Pinellas County Schools. Well known Pinellas Education Foundation programs include: Academies of Pinellas, Enterprise Village, Finance Park, Future Plans, Take Stock in Children Scholarships, Youth Connect and Fund A Classroom Grants