2017 SUCCESS STORIES

Sara Magliocca

Personal Achievement Award Winner

Words cannot explain how truly grateful I am to receive this scholarship. It was humbling, and a true honor to be recognized for my hard work. I would like to thank Dr. DeSimone and his wife Sasha DeSimone for being selfless donors to the community. This scholarship will help my future more than they know. I will be attending the University of Central Florida this upcoming summer, as well as in the fall. In receiving this scholarship, I am now able to further my education with less of a financial burden. Although I do not have a set field of study I would like to major in, I hope to one day be as altruistic and successful as the wonderful people who provided me with this scholarship.

Karina Moreira

Academic Achievement Award Honorable Mention

Thank you for this generous gift from your foundation.  The fact that you are in the medical field and still find time to help high school students with your scholarship is inspirational. I have chosen to study the science of Pathology.  While there is a range of branches Pathology is divided into, Clinical Pathology is what I gravitate towards. The concept of analyzing samples and specimen for diagnosis of disease highly interests me. I would be part of a medical team that can create a plan of action in the diagnosis and recovery of a patient, while the discovery of a diagnosis, would make me feel satisfied and complete, knowing I have finally reached an answer to my observation of test results. I’ve decided to further my education at Nova Southeastern University, where this scholarship will improve my financial situation with this private institution.  

Luis Felipe Kugelmas Guarita

Personal Achievement Award Honorable Mention

I would like to thank Dr. DeSimone and Mrs. DeSimone for this great opportunity, and I am honored to have been recognized by them and the Charity for Champions committee. This award means a lot to me and also motivates me in continuing to strive to do my best. My future plan is to graduate in finance while playing four years of college football.

Ryan Williams

Personal Achievement Award Winner

Winning this Scholarship honestly was very surprising and means a lot to me.  I would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. DeSimone for awarding me the Personal Achievement Award. My future plans include studying Aerospace Engineering.  I will be attending Broward College for my general education, then transfer to a University.  I also plan to continue meditation and hopefully teach more people about its benefits and how it can help with sleep and focus. Overcoming my ADHD to continue learning at a high pace with good grades allowed me to be applicable for this award. I can only be thankful for receiving this scholarship.

Samantha Lawson

Team Fellowship Award Winner

Firstly, I would like to thank Dr. DeSimone and Mrs. DeSimone for awarding me the Team Fellowship Award. I am extremely grateful to have been recognized for my hard work after many years of dedication to academics, athletics, and community service. In the fall, I plan to attend the University of Florida to study Electrical Engineering. With this scholarship, I hope further my education to assist in the creation of robotic prosthetics that will help restore the mobility and independence of many amputees around the world. I am excited for what the future holds, and cannot wait to receive the education I need to give back to my community. Thank you again to Dr. DeSimone and Mrs. DeSimone for this award!

Kasey Strauss

Personal Achievement Award Honorable Mention

I would like to thank Mrs. Sasha DeSimone and Dr. Al DeSimone for awarding me with this Personal Achievement Award Honorable Mention scholarship. I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this scholarship. This scholarship gives me the recognition that I’ve worked so hard to achieve, with my education, volleyball, tennis, and community service. This is going to help me stay involved in my studies, sports, and community involvement as I attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida and major in Accounting. Thank you again for helping me by presenting me with this amazing scholarship.         

Riley Guerin

Team Fellowship Award Honorable Mention

I’d like to thank Dr. and Mrs. DeSimone for awarding me the Team Fellowship Award. During high school, I learned about how important leadership and teamwork is through cheerleading and school. This award gives me the incredible opportunity to further my education at the University of Florida where I plan to major in Business Administration. Surely all my years of teamwork and leadership will come into play as I pursue a career in business. Thank you again Dr. and Mrs. DeSimone for recognizing all my hard work.

Brittany Harmer

Team Fellowship Award Winner

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Dr. DeSimone has given me. I plan on continuing my education majoring in Psychology at the University of Florida, in hopes of joining the FBI. My passion is to make the world a better place by giving back to society in the future through my work. I aim to impact every person I meet, whether through ways big or small. In my next chapter of college, I aim to join numerous clubs and play lacrosse at UF. I would like to thank Dr. DeSimone and his organization for honoring me for my accomplishments throughout high school. I am forever grateful and honored for this achievement and support.

Rachel Hines

Artistic Achievement Award Winner

I am so honored to be receiving the Charity for Champions Artistic Achievement Award because it combines my love for golf and piano. Both are very different activities but have all taught me the same lesson that hard work pays off. In the fall, I will be attending the University of Florida, majoring in chemistry and minoring in music. I plan to work to further my goal of going to medical school and becoming a physician. Thank you, Dr. DeSimone, for this amazing award and your continued commitment to the community!

Laurel Alin

Excellence Achievement Award Honorable Mention

I am attending Elon University which is located in North Carolina. I am interested in the medical field and am concentrating my studies in science. Additionally, I have had internships in physical therapy and hope to contribute positively to the medical field. Charity for Champions is a wonderful organization that helps so many students and their families. They work so hard to promote education and to motivate student athletes reach their potential. Thank you so much and it is an honor to have been recognized.

Zachary Sweeney

Sports Medicine Interest Award Winner

When I was younger I always dreamed of being in college and playing football. I was honored to have received a scholarship to attend the University of California-Los Angeles as a Bruin! I like to think of myself as a dreamer and one of my dreams has come true. I think my course of studies will allow me to work with athletes when i graduate and help them fulfill their potential. I know that hard work, self-reliance and determination are essential character traits for success that have been instilled in me by my parents and team coaches at St Thomas. I am extremely grateful for the scholarships given to me by Dr. DeSimone and the Charity for Champions organization. It means the world to me that I was selected to receive this honor. I really do thank you for this.

Ryan Mesa

Sports Medicine Interest Award Winner

I will be majoring in applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida.  My goal is to gain admission into the athletic training program within the college of Health and Human Performance at UF.  Upon graduating I hope to enter the university’s medical school and earn a doctorate in sports medicine.  My dream is to serve as a team doctor for a professional sports team, more specifically the Miami Dolphins.  My other goal is to be able to give back to my parents and provide them with support for all of the things they have done for me. Being recognized with the Sports Medicine Interest Award goes to show that my efforts in school and in my community, have not gone unnoticed.  It feels amazing to be rewarded for my efforts by the DeSimone family and Charity for Champions.  This scholarship will greatly reduce the financial burden that college is placing on my family and further increases my gratitude towards this organization.

Sarah Davis

Extraordinary Community Service Award Winner

This scholarship means a great deal to me as it serves as immense motivation for me in my collegiate academic endeavors. With the money from this award, I will be attending the University of Florida where I plan on studying to become an orthodontist in the future. Beyond the monetary reward, I am extremely grateful for the spiritual prize of hard work being recognized that the Charity for Champions scholarship has provided me. For this, I thank Dr. and Mrs. DeSimone for their help and support as I enter the next chapter of my life.

Ricardo Estrella

Athletic Achievement Award Honorable Mention

First off, I wanted to thank Dr. Al DeSimone for giving me the chance of having a scholarship and going to college. This could be a building stone for all I have planned in the future. But my future really begins from my family who have supported me throughout my whole life. My sister who has autism really inspires me to be a better person because she has made me a better person. God has blessed me with the precious gift that is my sister. It is not always easy at times with her condition but I still thank the Lord that he gave her to me as my sister.  My sister has also made better  people out of my parents who show unconditional love to her and I just want to repay that love by doing well in school and everything I do. I really look forward to studying computational science at Broward College and then at Florida State University.

Nicholas Rowe

Most Improved Athlete Award Winner

I would first like to thank Al DeSimone’s Charity for Champions for this award; it truly is a blessing to have received. This fall, I will be attending the University of Florida where I intend on pursuing a degree in urban planning and policy. I will try out for the men’s club volleyball team so I can continue  playing the sport I love which has taught me so much about time management, commitment, and hard work. This scholarship has given me tremendous confidence in knowing that the same qualities I learned on the volleyball court can be applied to achieving success in real life scenarios.  Thank you once again.

Matthew Cuoco

Athletic Achievement Award Winner

I’ve recently received an appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy. This has allowed me to solidify some of my short and long-term goals. My short-term goal is to successfully complete Basic Cadet Training at the Air Force Academy.  During my years as a cadet in the Academy, I am planning on studying Political Science and participating in numerous extracurricular activities. I wish to play for the Academy’s Lacrosse team and possibly the Football team. I’ve thought about playing collegiate lacrosse since I was in Middle School. The Air Force Academy provides other clubs and activities; the one club that particularly caught my eye was the USAFA Skydiving Club. I am planning on trying out for the club and, if my skill improves greatly over the years, later give my best shot to be on the Skydive Team.  My long-term goal, upon graduating from the Air Force Academy, is to commission into the United States Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant. After I commission, I wish to start my training as a Combat Rescue Officer. When I first heard my name called out at the Senior Award Night that I received the Athletic Achievement Award, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve worked hard in school and on the field, and I very much appreciate the recognition. This scholarship means a lot to me and to my family. I will be able to use the scholarship to offset the estimated $9,000 in other expenses related to my first year at the Academy.