SeaWorld Awards $5,000 Scholarships to Florida Students

SeaWorld Orlando recently awarded four extraordinary students, who have a passion for protecting and preserving the environment, with $5,000 educational scholarships toward any college or university they plan to attend as part of the company’s 2016 Environmental Scholarship Program. The four students were awarded their scholarships at SeaWorld Orlando this past Friday before heading into the theme park with their families to celebrate their accomplishment.

The scholarship opportunity was made available to Florida high school seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The winning students demonstrated their passion for animals and the environment through a written application and videos highlighting their environmental achievements and goals. The applications were evaluated by members of SeaWorld’s Education & Conservation Department. Judges considered originality, creativity, content, organization, neatness and the general presentation of the application.

While at SeaWorld Orlando, the students and their families were treated to lunch, taken on an in-depth behind-the-scenes tour with members of the SeaWorld education and zoological team, a meet and greet with a sea lion after a showing of Clyde & Seamore’s Sea Lion High and a front row ride on Mako, Orlando’s tallest, fastest and longest coaster. The scholarship recipients also received four SeaWorld Orlando Annual Passes and a tablet to bring with them to college this fall.

Here you are additional information about the 2016 Environmental Scholarship Award Winners:

1) Christen Aniel from Mandarin High School (Jacksonville)
Christen Aniel has applied her passion for coral reefs to a school project that uses left over concrete from construction companies and creates artificial reefs for marine life to thrive once again on her local Jacksonville coastline.

2) Gabriela Gonzalez from Charles W. Flanagan High School (Pembroke Pines)
Gabriela Gonzalez spends her time as a vet technician in Pembroke Pines while managing several foundations and organizations focusing on animals in need.

3) Margaret K. Parrish from Chamberlain High School (Tampa)
Margaret Parrish designed and constructed a low-cost, portable water test kit that looks for certain bacteria in potential drinking water.

4) Connor Wong from Edgewood Jr. Sr. High School (Merritt Island)
Connor Wong brought his ideas to life, literally, by growing mangroves in his own backyard and planting them, in turn contributing to reforesting the Indian River Lagoon.

PHOTO: © 2016 SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando. All Rights Reserved.