Eight scholarships were awarded to Cape Coral high school seniors this year by the Cape Coral Mayors Scholarship Fund.

Cape Coral Mayors Scholarship Fund President Tony Solgard said they are in their 38th year of providing scholarships for high school seniors. The funds provided to seniors come from the community, as well as sponsors.

“We go out to the community and raise funds and then we advertise the availability of the scholarships to high school seniors who live in Cape Coral,” he said. “My understanding is we have given out something like $700,000 over the history of the program.”

In year’s past recipients of the Cape Coral Mayors Scholarship Fund have been awarded a one-time $1,500 scholarship. Solgard said as a board they have learned that they should offer multi-year scholarships instead of single year due to the state of the economy for students paying for higher education.

“They run out of funds and too often are not able to finish. We want our program to support them through their educational program,” he said.

Solgard said they have also made another change, splinting their scholarship fund into two pools — academic track scholarships and career track scholarships.

The academic track scholarship provides funds to high school seniors who are Cape Coral residents who will attend a four -year college, or university program. The career-track scholarship is geared towards students who will attend a technical college, or community college to receive their higher education certificate or an associates degree.

“What we have realized is that perhaps that career-oriented higher education has been under supported and we wanted to make sure we were being encouraging for students going in that direction as well,” Solgard said.

Although the program has been around for a long time, the board is working hard to stay current with the times and demands of higher education and the means of students.

“It’s an exciting program that is staying fresh even after all of these years,” Solgard said.

This year the Cape Coral Mayors Scholarship Fund was able to award seven academic-track scholarships out of 117 applicants and one career-track scholarship. He said they work with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation to use their application process, as well as their panel of reviewers to review the applications and score them.

“Then we took the top group and did some additional scoring on our end,” Solgard said.

The academic-track recipients, who will receive $1,000 each year up to $4,000, include Hank Yang; Maxym Fairall; Liz Gonzalez Herrera; Julia Jun; Jack Lea; Amanda Benitez and Sedona Scott. The career track recipient, Sage Calvao, will receive $1,000 for each nine months of the program up to three years.

Academic-Track recipients

Hank Yang

* GPA: 4.00

* High School: Cape Coral High School

* University attending: Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois

* Major: Journalism

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship?: “I believe this scholarship will give me to opportunity to cover my work study requirement, which will let me fully focus on my studies.”

Maxym Fairall

* GPA: 4.00

* High School: Ida S. Baker High School

* University attending: Florida Gulf Coast University

* Major: Nursing, with possible minor, or dual major in environmental science/engineering

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “To me, this scholarship means I am one step closer to achieving true independence as a person in our community. Every dollar matters when it comes to paying the cost of college. My goal is to be able to show my community that my hard work and dedication is worth every dollar they would be willing to give to me to further my academic career and allow me to become a hardworking and productive member of our community…”

Liz Gonzalez Herrera

* GPA: 4.00

* High School: Mariner High School

* University attending: University of Florida

* Major: Chemistry on the pre-med track

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “Receiving this scholarship is a great honor for me. It is more than just about receiving money for me; it tells me I am seen as having potential for the future of our society, and I really appreciate the support.”

Julia Jun

* GPA: 3.97

* High School: Cape Coral High School IB program

* University attending: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

* Major: Economics

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “This generous scholarship will financially help me attend college. Additionally, it shows me that the hard work I contributed towards school was worth it.”

Jack Lea

* GPA: 3,95

* High School: Oasis High School

* University attending: University of Central Florida

* Major: Computer science with minor in secure computing and networks (cyber security)

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “This scholarship will help alleviate the stress associated with college expenses, so to me it means I will be able to focus more on my studies rather than feeling pressured to get a job while in college. It will also assist me in meeting my goal of graduating college debt-free, and for that I am very grateful.”

Amanda Benitez

* GPA: 3.89

* High School: Cape Coral High School

* University attending: University of Florida

* Major: International Studies on a pre-law track

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “This scholarship has given me the opportunity to continue my education without becoming a financial burden on my family. Opportunities like this are what allow students to embark on their professional journeys.”

Sedona Scott

* GPA: 3,88

* High School: Cape Coral High School

* University attending: Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia

* Major: Fashion Design

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “I feel honored to receive this scholarship as I continue to move forward in pursuing my passion. It is amazing to be recognized for all the work I have done throughout high school.”

Career-Track recipient

Sage Calva

* GPA: 3.96

* High School: Mariner High School with dual enrollment at Florida Southwestern State College

* College attending: Florida Southwestern State College

* Major: Radiation Therapy after finishing first two years

* What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship? “What does scholarship means to me is that this is only the beginning. I will continue to work hard, because soon my dreams will become my reality. I am so grateful that I have been given this opportunity and I can not wait to see where it all takes me.”

Solgard said applications are accepted from November through the early part of February. There are only two guidelines to meet — a high school senior heading to post secondary education the following school year and a resident of Cape Coral.

“They can go to a school outside of Cape Coral if they are going to another school in the Lee County School District, or a private school as long as they are a resident of Cape Coral,” he said.

Unfortunately with COVID-19 restrictions, Solgard said they had to put the award ceremony on hold. He said in past years they have held a banquet and invited corporate sponsors to appear with students to make a presentation.

“We had hoped to do something similar this year. We put it on hold until things settle down to reevaluate,” Solgard said.