Feldman Orthodontics hosted our 25th Annual Scholarship Essay Competition-What a Smile Means to Me banquet on Thursday, May 14 at Carrollwood Country Club, in Tampa in honor of two local high school seniors.Cheyenne Moore from Gulf High School in New Port Richey and Abby Kathleen Rinaldi from Tampa’s Chamberlain High School were both in attendance with their parents. Chamberlain’s college and career counselor, Lisa Krupp, also came to celebrate with Abby and our Feldman Orthodontics team.Dr. Randy Feldman, Chief Smile Officer, has awarded one-time scholarships to fifty graduating seniors from local public high schools during the past twenty-five years. This year, he awarded $1,500 scholarships to both Cheyenne and Abby, whose essays were chosen from the record number of 97 applications.Looking back on the past 25 years, Dr. Feldman commented “the 50 recipients of our scholarships have provided us a moment to reflect, smile, and celebrate the youth in Tampa Bay.”Cheyenne has the honor of being the first Pasco County recipient, and her essay centered on the smiles created by the annual Easter egg hunts by Lighthouse For The Blind, during which she volunteers. Cheyenne will attend Mount Ida College in Massachusetts this fall, and will pursue a degree in funeral home management. Cheyenne enjoyed the evening and said this of Dr. Feldman and the scholarship, “It’s amazing to have someone in the community so dedicated to helping college-bound students. This was a fun opportunity to express myself and to further my education.”Writing is second nature to University of South Florida bound, Abby, who will major in mass communications with a concentration in news-editorial. Her winning essay focused on the essence of a smile and is both philosophical and poetic. Abby was very appreciative of the honor and award. That evening she commented that, “What universities provide in terms of scholarships is the bare minimum. The opportunity to also add a minor to my studies is something that interests me. Dr. Feldman’s generosity will allow me to further explore myself as a multidimensional person and an artist. That is the greatest gift.” Among the requirements for this unique annual scholarship are an outstanding essay, a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, a minimum SAT score of 1000 or minimum ACT score of 22, letter of recommendation from their school, and letter of acceptance to college or vocational-technical institution. Scholarship winners were chosen from applications of graduating seniors from Hillsborough or Pasco County public high schools. Cheyenne and Abby’s essays are proudly displayed on our website with all 48 previous winners. Dr. Feldman added, “We look forward to continuing this tradition and celebrating a bright future with many reasons to smile.”To learn more about Dr. Feldman and Feldman Orthodontics.
