Donors and Students Inspire Each Other at 19th Annual Scholarship Appreciation Luncheon

3/21/2018

Pictured, left to right: Juanita O’Harra, Malique Ferrette, SPC President Tonjua Williams and Chelsea Echols

SPC Foundation donors, partners, students and college leadership celebrated the awarding of more than $1.8 million in scholarships to over 2,400 students during the 2016-17 academic year at the St. Petersburg College Foundation’s 19th Annual Scholarship Luncheon on March 21, 2018.

More than 200 guests attended the event, sponsored by RBC Wealth Management and Emceed by Bay News 9’s Veronica Cintron. SPC students Chelsea Echols and Malique Ferrette moved and inspired the audience with their stories of triumph and success. Malique Ferrette, said, “Words prove insufficient in expressing my gratitude for what you as donors have done for my life and for the lives of so many others. Yet still, I say on behalf of all SPC students…. thank you!”

Offering a donor's perspective, Mike Brewster, Chief Production Officer at Monin, spoke about his company's partnership with SPC and the impact scholarships have in developing our local workforce.

SPC President Tonjua Williams closed out the program and thanked the donors who support our students, saying "If it were not for you, we would have many students who would give up on their dreams." Williams said donors' generosity affects more than just our students. It impacts generations. "You've changed the lives of their children and the children to come," she said.