Sarasota, FL (February 22, 2021) – Two members of Girls Inc. of Sarasota County have been chosen as 2021 Girls Inc. National Scholars and awarded Girls Inc. Lucile Miller Wright scholarships. Melody Ramos and Michelle Monasterios, both Riverview High School seniors, were awarded $20,000 and $5,000 respectively to support their post-secondary education. Melody & Michelle were selected for their outstanding academic achievements, community service work, and dedication to the Girls Inc. mission of inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Melody has been a Girls Inc. girl since she was in first grade and has continued to volunteer throughout high school. Melody tutors younger girls at Girls Inc., leads the high school virtual advocacy program called ‘Taking Action,’ and was recently accepted into a Quantum Computing program with MIT & IBM. As part of the first cohort of high school students to learn quantum computing, Melody will be exposed to a topic often not taught until graduate school and is one of the first high school students in the world to participate in the course.
Michelle as also attended Girls Inc. since first grade and now participates in the High School Initiative. In 2019, Michelle was recognized with the “Strong, Smart & Bold” Leadership Award for her dedication to Girls Inc. programming and her participation in the United State of Women White House Summit in Washington, DC. Additionally, Michelle completed the Artisan Cheese Apprenticeship program where she learned practical food service skills, entrepreneurship, and how to run a small business.
President & CEO Angie Stringer says, “It has been an inspiration to watch Melody & Michelle grow into strong, smart & bold young women here at Girls Inc. We are so proud of their accomplishments and look forward to cheering them on in their future goals. These generous scholarships from our National organization exemplify the deep commitment Girls Inc. has in supporting girls’ achievement, success and lifelong wellness.”
The Girls Inc. Lucile Miller Wright Scholarship program was created in 1992, when the female pilot and long-time supporter gave a bequest for scholarships for young women. Over $6.5 million in Girls Inc. scholarships have made post-secondary education more accessible to high school women and has inspired them to succeed in school and consider a broad range of career possibilities.