The Spanish American Club, Inc.

The Spanish American Club, Inc. awards scholarship

By Herman Santa

The Spanish American Club, Inc. is proud to recognize one outstanding student selected to receive one of the five club’s 2017 scholarship awards. The recipient is Jennifer Arriola of Ft. Pierce.

Jennifer was born in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Her father, Sergio Arriola is from Matagalpa, Nicaragua and her mother Maria De Sales Marcos is from Oaxaca, Mexico. Jennifer is attending Westwood High School and she will graduate with a 5.41 GPA ranked #5 in her senior class of approximately 367 students. She will attend Florida Southern College and will major in Political Science with a minor in Pre-Law. She would like to pursue a career as an immigration Attorney. She will also be part of the Army ROTC program at Florida Southern.

The scholarship committee selected the students for their achievements, trustworthiness, character, responsibility, fairness and academics. The following members are part of the board of directors: Ruben Aleman, president; Nancy Rozon, vice president; Luis Carrillo, treasurer; Al Feliciano, secretary; Ray Guadalupe, public relations; Isa Bryson, director; and Carlos Mejia, substitute. The following members are part of the scholarship committee: Nancy Rozon, Chair; Fe Valderuten and Ron Bryson, co-chairs.

The scholarship was established in 1992 for low-income Hispanic students. Over the past 25 years, the club has awarded more than $28,000 in scholarships to the Hispanic senior of Martin and St. Lucie counties. The board raises money for the scholarships by having 50/50 raffles at the monthly dance parties. The board also organizes other events such as picnics, cruises and garage sales. The committees organize events such as bowling, golf and dominoes tournaments. The members bowl every Monday at 6:00 P.M. at the Saint Lucie Lanes. The bowling group has a 50/50 raffle on the first Monday of the month.

The mission of the club is to promote friendship and solidarity among its members, neighbors and other non profit organizations of the Treasure Coast through cultural, social, civic, charity and sports activities to promote knowledge of the Spanish speaking countries, their geography, history, art and folklore.

My name is Jennifer Arriola and I was born and raised in Fort Pierce, FL. My mother, Maria Marcos, is from Oaxaca, Mexico. My father, Sergio Arriola, is from Matagalpa, Nicaragua. I attend Fort Pierce Westwood High School and will graduate with highest honors with a 5.41 GPA ranked #5 in my class of about 367 students. I am a member of honor societies such as the National Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa Nu Iota Chapter. I was on my school’s competitive rifle shooting team for about four years, and was the captain one year. I played Varsity soccer and volleyball at my high school. I have accumulated a total of 853.89 community service hours. My favorite thing to do is to run! I will be attending Florida Southern College starting Fall 2017. I will major in Political Science, with a minor in Pre-Law. I will also be part of the Army ROTC program at Florida Southern. My long term goal is to become an immigration attorney.