- December 25, 2024
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Sunshine State Scholar Shawn Zhudro and alternate Isabella Tietje pose with their parents, School Board members, Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt and school administrators. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Shawn Zhudro was introduced by FPC principal Greg Schwartz. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Isabella Tietje was introduced by Matanzas assistant principal Mandy Kraverotis. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast High School junior Shawn Zhudro has always wanted to be an engineer. He is still unsure about which specialty to pursue, but he will likely have a better idea after he attends the Sunshine State Scholars program in Orlando on March 31 to April 1.
Zhudro was selected as the Sunshine State Scholar representing the Flagler County school district. Isabella Tietje of Matanzas High School was selected as the district’s alternate.
The program brings together the top 11th graders from each school district in the state and connects them with employers that specialize in the STEM fields and with representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities.
The program brings together the top 11th graders from each school district in the state and connects them with employers that specialize in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and with representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities in Florida to learn about their post-secondary STEM programs and career opportunities.
The scholars attend the program with their parents and an influential teacher of their choosing.
AT&T, Lockheed Martin, Healios Education Foundation and SeaWorld Parks are among the companies and organizations expected to have representatives at the program to share career and intern opportunities.
Zhudro and Tietje were introduced at the Feb. 15 School Board meeting. Science curriculum specialist Heidi Alves said the district had amazing candidates to choose from, all of whom had a weighted 3.9 GPA or better, are on track to receive Bright Futures scholarships and have expressed an interest in pursuing a STEM degree and career.
Zhudro is in FPC’s international Baccalaureate program. He has a weighted 5.14 weighted GPA. He is the vice president of the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society and coaches the statistics division. He has also served as a tutor for algebra I students and has participated the Future Problem Solving program.
Tietje is in the Cambridge AICE Diploma program at Matanzas and is dual-enrolled at Daytona State College. She has a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 5.0 weighted GPA. She is captain of the girls wrestling team, a three-year varsity swimmer and a world-class surfer who qualified for the World Surf League as a member of the Italian team.
Tietje is also a member of Model UN and competes on the calculus team for Mu Alpha Theta. She is interested in both medicine and environmental science and plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in environment science before deciding whether to pursue medical school.
