And the 2013 Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship Recipient Is...

The recipient of the 7th annual Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship is Marcus Upshire. Our review team was impressed with all of the applicants – however, we only have one scholarship to give. As we reviewed the applications, all of the students had unique strengths that made them excellent candidates: high GPAs, involvement in school activities, and various community involvement efforts. But, one student really stuck out for the diversity of their activities: Marcus Upshire.

Marcus is undoubtedly a leader on campus. He is the captain of both the Crooms Boys Basketball and Boys Volleyball teams (while also running Cross Country), and he has taken part in the leadership class at Crooms. Marcus is also a member of three of the big service organizations at Crooms AoIT: Beta Club, Student Ambassadors, and National Honor Society. When it comes to academics, Marcus isn't a lightweight either. He was named a National Merit Scholar in 2012 and has also been accepted to Stetson to study business and accounting. But, what really swayed us were two volunteer activities:

• For the past several summers, Marcus has volunteered at the Oviedo Recreational Center to ensure everyone has a fun - but safe - time while visiting the facilities.
• This school year, Marcus stepped up to the plate to become the Chapter President of Reynolds' Right Hands. As you might remember, Reynolds' Right Hands is the distracted driving advocacy group founded by Crooms AoIT students in 2010. The group - along with other advocacy groups in the state - achieved a major victory this past week when the Florida Legislature voted to make texting while driving a secondary offense. The bill is currently waiting to be sent to Governor Scott.

Without further ado, congratulations to Marcus, and congratulations to the Class of 2013!

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The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship is meant to honor a student that exemplifies not only academic and extracurricular achievement, but also demonstrates a dedication to community service and involvement. The scholarship totals $600.00 and is supported by donations from recent graduates. You can support the Crooms AoIT Alumni Scholarship by joining the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, Inc. by visiting http://www.croomsalumni.com/donate.