GULF BREEZE — The Better Business Bureau Foundation's recipients of the 2017 BBB Student Ethics Scholarships in District I (Escambia and Santa Rosa counties) include John Learned of Gulf Breeze High, Grant Kemp of Pensacola Catholic High and Alyssa Borelli of Northview High.
The program recognizes high school junior and senior students in the Florida Panhandle (a 14-county service area) who demonstrate personal character and integrity. An independent panel of judges selected the recipients based on leadership, community service, overall personal integrity and academic history. Each student selected received a $1,000 scholarship to the college/university of their choice.
John Learned graduated from Gulf Breeze High School last month in the top 5 percent of his class. Described as a civic-minded, intelligent and driven young man, John excelled both inside and outside the classroom.
He carried a 4.89 GPA (weighted), was in several honor societies including the National Honor Society and participated in many other activities including Key Club, Florida High School Mock Trial Competition, and the Optimist Club.
Outside the classroom, he was captain of the football team for two years, was on the weightlifting and track teams and holds a Black Belt in Chung Do Kwan Karate.
He accumulated over 200 hours of community service as a volunteer for Kiwanis, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Taste of Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Seafood Festival and as a Spanish instructor and Lacrosse team manager.
One of his teachers wrote, “John was one of the finest students I have encountered at Gulf Breeze High School, which is quite an impressive feat, considering the caliber of his peers. He has dedicated his high school career to bettering himself with a commitment to excellence in and out of the classroom.”
John will attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., in the fall.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gulf Breeze student among BBB scholarship recipients