Leaders 4 Life Fellow Wade McDonald Recognized

2013 Leaders 4 Life (L4L) Fellow Wade McDonald was recently featured in the Women of Sugarmill Woods' newsletter, highlighting his accomplishment of receiving a L4L scholarship.  Leaders 4 Life is a scholarship program within Take Stock in Children (TSIC) funded by the Asofsky Family Foundation that provides scholarships to five Florida students each year. Wade was onboarded as a TSIC student in 2008, and the Women of Sugarmill Woods are the sponsors of his TSIC scholarship. Below is an excerpt from the glowing newsletter article that features Wade's accomplishments:

Several local and state dignitaries were present for the [Leaders 4 Life] awards ceremony. State Representative Jimmie Smith told Wade that he now has an opportunity to change the world. Superintendent of Citrus County Schools, Sam Himmel, added that Wade comes from great stock and that he is a great representative of our county. Sheriff Jeffrey Dawsey said that in his job he sees both the best and the worst of our young people today, and all too often only the bad ones make the front page of the newspaper, but Wade represents success and his story belongs on the front page of the paper. (Wade’s award was indeed the front page story on the January 31st edition of the Citrus Chronicle!)

Sheriff Dawsey added that Wade had a vision, had goals, and he created a path to reach his goals. His passion will get him where he wants to go. Bob Allen, Wade’s mentor in TSIC during his four years at Lecanto High School, remembered a shy, introverted young boy when he first met Wade. But they hit it off well. Bob has seen how Wade has developed and matured into a successful young man with a great sense of humor, positive values, good self-image, and good work ethic. He’s polite; he’s prompt; and he helps others. He’s a special young man. Both Ginger Bryant, chairwoman of Citrus County School Board and Pat Lancaster, Citrus-Levy TSIC coordinator, echoed Bob’s description of Wade, and they both appreciate what Wade has done to help other students in the TSIC program.

We join the Women of Sugarmill Woods in congratulating Wade, and we are so proud of all of his accomplishments!

Wade McDonald at the Leaders 4 Life Award Presentation

Wade's brother Shane, father Blaine, Wade, and mother Joan

Recuerdo Madrid – Greetings from Madrid!

A first generation college student, Take Stock in Children graduate and 2012 Leaders 4 Life (L4L) Fellow, Alfonso Mejia represents what the TSIC model is all about: when students are provided with support, motivation and accountability, they will excel personally and academically.

A 2012 graduate from Charles W. Flanagan High School in Broward County, Alfonso Mejia is the first person in his family to pursue a college degree.  President of his high school class for all four years, he graduated within the top 2% of his class.  He aims to continue his involvement with student government at the University of Florida, where he is currently studying Accounting and Finance and plans on going to law school to become a lawyer and work in the non-profit sector. 

In an attempt to make the most of his college experience, Alfonso is currently studying abroad at Antonio de Nebrija University in Madrid, Spain through UF’s School of Business.  Alfonso’s family is Colombian, so he is fluent in Spanish, but in an effort to perfect the language and gain an appreciation of the culture, he enrolled in the highest level Spanish course offered.  He explains, “Part of the reason I chose [to study abroad in] Spain was because I wanted to master my Spanish and have a solid foundation [of the language].  Second to English, the Spanish language plays a significant role in the business world and is almost essential [to know].”

Refining his Spanish is just one component to his experience abroad, as he will also have the opportunity to teach children once a week and volunteer to feed the homeless.  “Living abroad has taught me to value other cultures and ways of life.”  It is this altruistic and motivated spirit that sets Alfonso apart, making him a great example of what being a Leaders 4 Life Fellow is all about.

The Leaders 4 Life Fellowship was created in partnership with the Asofsky Family Foundation and recognizes TSIC students who have emerged as leaders.  Of L4L, Alfonso says:

Whenever I feel down, I remind myself how fortunate I truly am.  Being a L4L Fellow means to me a life-long commitment of gratitude and generosity.  The L4L Fellowship was created through genuine principles that must be reciprocated by the fellows.  For now, we must focus on our studies and finish strong, but when we are done with school we must remember where we came from and who gave us the opportunity to be what we will become in the upcoming years.  I plan on giving back to society in the same way that L4L does: giving a student the power of an education.

In the future, Alfonso plans on mentoring youth, starting his own scholarship fund similar to the Leaders 4 Life Fellowship, and one day hopes to be on the Take Stock in Children Board of Directors.  We are so proud of all of Alfonso’s accomplishments and wish him buena suerte – good luck – for the rest of his semester abroad in Spain!

Scholar Spotlight: Ha Tran's Travels to Ghana!

Photo from www.uniteforsight.org

Originally from Santa Rosa County, Ha Tran is a Take Stock in Children alumna and was named a Leaders 4 Life fellow in 2011.  In her second year at Duke University, Ha is majoring in neuroscience with a concentration in global health.  Her focus on global health has led her to become involved with the organization Unite for Sight, and will culminate in an eight week trip to Ghana, Africa this coming summer.

Ha writes, “I started looking into this program though my global health course here at Duke. Our yearlong case study focused on an NGO and I chose Unite for Sight.  Aside from the obvious benefits of this program, what I think is most significant is that UFS is quite literally breaking down the barrier for access to health care.”  Ha continues that she has taken a variety of global health courses throughout her time at Duke and finds UFS to be a role model for all other organizations to follow.  “In our class, we looked at everything from tax forms to end-of-the-year reports to analyze the effectiveness of this organization.  As with any program, there are things to be improved. I hope to help improve those aspects during my eight weeks in Ghana.”

Ha will specifically be working in an eye clinic to screen for eye disease, implementing education programs, and assisting in surgery for children and adults.  Traveling to rural villages, she will be providing eye care to those who do not have access to an eye doctor.  Ha’s family emigrated from Vietnam, where there is a saying “Cho ánh sáng,” meaning “the ability to give light.”  Through Ha’s commendable efforts, she will be providing vision, light and hope to the people of Ghana.  Aside from this trip, Ha has also personally collected over 825 glasses to donate and has completed over 30 hours of medical training for this trip, as well as an additional 60 hours of outside training through Unite For Sight and her global health courses at Duke University.  We are so proud of Ha’s efforts, and we encourage you to check out her web page here to learn more about this remarkable program.

If you have any questions about her trip, you can contact Ha at ha.tran@duke.edu or call her at (850) 686-6067.