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15 high school seniors awarded Red Sox Foundation scholarships

By CJ HADDAD 6 min read

The Boston Red Sox showed their continued support of the next generation and honored local high school seniors before Sunday's Spring Training game at Jet Blue Park.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Red Sox Foundation presented $5,000 scholarships to local high school students in the area. This year, 15 recipients were chosen, and got to experience the spring home of the Sox in a special way.

Each student was given a specially embroidered bat as they stepped out onto the field pregame — their name called out to the thousands in attendance.

"It feels amazing," said Ida Baker senior Kylie Burkhamer. "I've never gotten to experience JetBlue Park before, so it's awesome to be here and I'm just really honored to be chosen for this scholarship."

Scholarship funds are raised from proceeds from the annual Swings For The Sox golf tournament held each fall to benefit the Red Sox Scholarship and other efforts. To date, the Swings for the Sox has raised more than $497,000 for local charities and specifically $437,175 for the scholarship program. This year, 154 applications were submitted for these scholarships.

Burkhamer is heading to Florida State next year to study nursing, with a goal to become a pediatric nurse at a children's hospital.

"I know from experience how much a nurse can change someone's day, so I want to be that for other people," she said. "I'm a first generation college student and I live with just my grandmother, so this scholarship is really going to help me follow my dreams."

Cape Coral High School senior Daniela Mora also got to experience JetBlue Park for the first time and expressed how exciting it was to be on the field and see the players up close. The group of 15 was also called upon to carry out one of the game's long-standing traditions - proclaiming, "play ball!"

Mora is heading to the University of Florida next year and plans to study neuroscience and minor in botany - contemplating a career in horticulture therapy.

"I really like holistic healing and going off of the traditional medical route that just prescribes things," Mora said. "The scholarship will help be fund my tuition. I don't expect my parents to pay for college or take out loans."

Brennan Whitley, senior manager Florida business operations for the Boston Red Sox, said scholarship day is one they look forward to especially each year.

"It's been a pleasure being able to chair the Swings for The Sox golf tournament (along with his partners) and raise money for these kids - kids that might have never seen a baseball field before, but now we're getting to give them some money to go off to college to do bigger and better things, and hopefully come back to the Southwest Florida community and impact other lives," Whitley said. "We don't want them to have to worry about finances. We want to help them out as much as possible. Even if they go to a tech or trade school, that's amazing."

David Doran, owner of DLD Builders LLC of Naples, who was the title sponsor of the Swings For The Sox for the 7th consecutive year and has donated more than $70,000 to the scholarship program, said he never graduated college.

"I'm happy to support these impressive students on their first great step towards their future," Doran said. "My hope is not only for these students to do well, but at some point, when they are able to, pay it forward and help the next generation behind them."

Mariner high school senior Amelia Castro called the experience "incredible" and said she could feel her heart beating out on the field in excitement.

"I felt so accomplished, and I'm so happy and grateful for the Red Sox for giving me this opportunity," Castro said.

The Florida State University-bound student said her goals would not be reachable without the help from the foundation.

"I have a really tough financial situation, and I really can’t afford college, but the Red Sox really allowed me to pursue my dreams of computer science and being a better person that later on in life can help others.

"My career plans are to study computer science and then go into the Air Force to work in intelligence and cyber security."

Island Coast senior Kailyn Uria also took in the atmosphere of a Spring Training ballpark for the first time and was humbled by the gesture from the team.

She will attend FGCU next year with an undecided major.

"For me, there are a lot of things I like to do, I just need to find something that will benefit me," Uria said. "There are many options for my path that are diverse and different, I'm just going to take classes and see what speaks out to me."

Uria said she's been looking for scholarships for some time and has been saving up to help pay her way through school.

"This scholarship will really help me out," Uria said.

The full list of scholarship winners include:

• Enrique Aparicio – Bonita Springs High School

• Daniela Mora – Cape Coral High School

• Gunter Harrison Bauer – Cypress Lake High School

• Maxwell Calandro - Dunbar High School

• Jennifer Jimenez-Martinez – East Lee County High School

• Zoe Wallace - Estero High School

• Sinthia Faustin – Fort Myers High School

• Kylie Burkhamer – Ida Baker High School

• Kailyn Uria – Island Coast High School

• Lizet Mejia – Lehigh Senior High School

• Amelia Castro – Mariner High School

• Melany Hernandez – North Fort Myers High School

• Fiona English – Riverdale High School

• McKinley Davis – South Fort Myers High School

• Alexis Isherwood – Charter/ALS

The Red Sox Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official team charity of the Boston Red Sox. The foundation's primary focus locally is in serving the health, education, recreation and social service needs of children and families across Southwest Florida. The Red Sox Foundation is one of the most successful in all of Major League Baseball.

For more information on the foundation and its fundraising events and opportunities, visit www.redsoxfoundation.org.

-- Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj

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