Palm Coast, FL – American Association of University Women (AAUW) Flagler proudly announced its 2021 Scholarship recipients. Last year, the Flagler County Education Foundation traveled outside of the box and created the Scholarship Caravan, complete with yard signs, featuring student photos, scholarship names, and sponsoring organizations. This year the road to success continued with the “Drive & Surprise” event, guaranteed to fuel the ambitions of three incredibly talented young women from Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High Schools. AAUW Flagler members Haydee Bernal and Terri Smith joined the journey as Sarah Flannery, Rebecca Tamara Martinez, and Mikaella Donatta Penagos received the news. This year, AAUW Flagler awarded three scholarships, including the first Mary Rose Hoffman AAUW Scholarship.
Sarah Flannery, a Senior at Matanzas High School (MHS), is the recipient of the first Mary Rose Hoffman AAUW Scholarship. Sarah seeks to trade her Pirate mascot for that of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Yellowjacket, while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Of note, she is one of the first MHS students to receive the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) A-Level in Physics. Along the way, she hopes to gain an introductory understanding of architecture and urban studies. When asked to define her goal, Ms. Flannery answered she hopes to “achieve a synthesis between my zeal for STEM and my humanitarian desires by researching Complex Systems to create innovative, sustainable, and safe manufacturing systems”.
Our first Bulldog from Flagler/Palm Coast High School (FPCHS) is Rebecca Tamara Martinez. Also, a Senior, her journey will take her to the University of Florida. This future Gator began her sophomore year at FPCHS by starting a Habitat for Humanity Club. She presided as club president for the next two years, while pursuing an International Baccalaureate diploma, Ms. Martinez has been an active member of the Future Problem Solvers at FPCHS and has participated in the Global Issues category since her junior year. Last year, she was awarded AP Scholar with Distinction for maintaining an average score of 3.5 or higher on five AP exams. Ms. Martinez will bring that same tenacity as she works to secure her Bachelor of Science with majors in Engineering and Entrepreneurship.
Our third recipient, also a student at FPCHS, has consistently excelled since her sophomore year. From academic awards and honors to extra-curricular activities, Mikaella Donatta Penagos will most certainly blaze a trail as she travels to the University of Central Florida to begin work on her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In her junior year, she joined Youth Leadership Flagler, a program developed by the Flagler Chamber of Commerce with a focus on learning about the different careers available in Flagler County. Ms. Penagos’ leadership skills led her to Tallahassee as a delegate for Girls State. She applied those skills as a member of Community Problem Solvers. Her team took second place for their “Project Listen”, designed to bring about awareness to the deaf community around Flagler County.
STEM degrees for these three is an amazing testament to the scholastic and extra-curricular schedules maintained by each of these young women. All three maintained Honor Roll status through all four years of high school. Each was challenged with AP and IB courses and all participated in extracurricular activities including band participation and leadership, varsity team sports and lettering, and school club engagement with Interact Club, Leo Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Habitat for Humanity, and Future Problem Solvers. AAUW Flagler is proud to continue its stated mission of advancing education for women and girls in Flagler County.
Media Release: Kim Medley, Publicity/Social Media
American Association of University Women – Flagler Branch
