Marla Martin, Communications Manager, or Jeff Zipper, Vice President of Communications 407/438-1400, ext. 2326 or 2314

Florida Association of Realtors® Announces District Scholarship Winners

ORLANDO, Fla., June 3, 2008 – The Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) has awarded 39 college scholarships to Florida senior high school students as part of its 2007-2008 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors. Thirteen seniors from public and private high schools in each of the state’s 13 districts have received first-place $5,000 scholarships; 13 students taking second-place honors received $1,500 scholarship awards; and 13 third-place essayists have won $500 each.

The scholarship program helps Florida’s most talented high school students achieve their goals in college, and all seniors are eligible except for immediate family members of a Realtor, of a person with a real estate license or of a Realtor association's staff. The top winning essays from FAR’s 13 districts across Florida now compete to win one of three $5,000 state-level FAR scholarships. Scholarships from FAR this year total $106,000.

First place winners of FAR’s $5,000 scholarship
District 1 Erika Raye Barrs of Lake City, Columbia High School
District 2 Jennifer Mann of Merritt Island, Edgewood Junior/Senior High
District 3 Jared Gaylord of Hobe Sound, South Fork High School
District 4 Emily Lazopoulos of Coral Gables, Westminster Christian School
District 5 Betsy Alvarado of Naples, Gulf Coast High School
District 6 Joshua Thomas Howard of Seminole, Seminole High School
District 7 Samantha Ramsdell of Mount Dora, Christian Home and Bible School
District 8 Natalia Smirnova of Tallahassee, Leon High School
District 9 David Gilbert Williams of Niceville, homeschooled
District 10 Laura Ann Kirby of Lakeland, Lakeland Christian School
District 11 Falyn Freyman of Plantation, American Heritage High School
District 12 Benjamin Paul Thomas of Geneva, Oviedo High School
District 13 Kelsey Hage of Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch High School

Second place winners of FAR’s $1,500 scholarship
District 1 Haley Elizabeth Tan of Fernandina Beach, Fernandina Beach High
District 2 Andrew W. Kramer of Titusville, Astronaut High School
District 3 Katie Michele Ammons of Okeechobee, Okeechobee High
District 4 Eva Sevilla of Key Biscayne, Coral Gables High School
District 5 Jhenny Saint-Surin of Naples, Golden Gate High School
District 6 Lindsey Burr of Palm Harbor, East Lake High School
District 7 Heather Allshouse of Leesburg, Leesburg High School
District 8 Afaf Nidal Qasem of Tallahassee, Lawton Chiles Senior High
District 9 Lauren A. Foy of Niceville, Niceville High School
District 10 Ashley Preston of Lake Placid, Lake Placid High School
District 11 John Joseph Porter of Cooper City, American Heritage High
District 12 Sloane Elizabeth Davis of St. Cloud, Harmony High School
District 13 Whitney Sutherland of Sarasota, Sarasota High School

Third place winners of FAR’s $500 scholarship
District 1 Jeffrey L. Taylor of Fernandina Beach, Fernandina Beach High
District 2 C. Tyler Adkins of DeLand, DeLand High School
District 3 Christopher Bahls-Mariles of Boynton Beach, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
District 4 Ryan Cabana of Surfside, Miami Beach Sr. High School
District 5 Maria Barbero of Cape Coral, Cape Coral High School
District 6 Michael S. Warren of Crystal Beach, Palm Harbor University High
District 7 Caleb C. Melin of Bushnell, South Sumter High School
District 8 Xin Guan of Tallahassee, Lincoln High School
District 9 Kirby Turnage of Pensacola, Washington High School
District 10 Lisa Oakman of Babson Park, Frostproof Middle/Senior High
District 11 Craig Murk of Coral Springs, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
District 12 Shannon McEnteer of Winter Park, Lake Howell High School
District 13 Diana Mehserle of Venice, Pine View School

“Helping young people continue their education and realize their dreams for the future through our successful scholarship program is just one of the ways that Florida Realtors show their strong commitment to their communities,” says 2008 FAR President Chuck Bonfiglio.

A number of community leaders, media representatives, educators, business executives and Realtors from across the state volunteered their time and expertise to serve as judges for the district-level essay competition. The first-place district-winning essays — written on the topic, “How Does a Realtor Professional Benefit the Community?” — will be reviewed by a state panel of judges, who will select the top three state winners. State scholarship winners may be announced either prior to, or as part of, FAR's 2008 Convention & Trade Expo held Sept. 24-28, at the Buena Vista Palace in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Florida Association of Realtors, the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 125,000 members in 67 local boards/associations.