The 2025 Best & Brightest Awards program is officially underway to find the best and brightest high school seniors in Leon County. The program kicked off its annual recognition event with a gathering of key school leaders at The Hayward House Bistro for a breakfast featuring public and private school principals and guidance counselors from across the county.

The program is now accepting applications from Leon County’s “best and brightest” high school seniors, who will have a chance to claim a share of $55,000 in total scholarships across 15 categories of scholastic achievement and community service. In order to qualify, students are encouraged to submit applications to their school guidance counselor before the schools send in their school-based winners by the January 30, 2025 deadline.

“Twenty years ago, we created this community recognition awards program to recognize stellar Leon County students who have demonstrated great accomplishment both in the classroom and in service within the community,” said Ron Sachs, Chairman of Sachs Media and founder and sponsor of the Best & Brightest Awards.  “These outstanding young leaders are an inspiration to us all with their altruistic service.”

Since the creation of the Best & Brightest Awards, 2,716 deserving Leon County high school seniors and 655 Eighth graders have been honored with over $958,000 in cash scholarships. Major scholarships for seniors are awarded to three countywide winners in each of 15 different categories: $1,500 scholarships for the first-place winners, $750 for runners-up and $500 for honorable mention honorees. The program also awards $100 cash scholarships to all school-based winners through Envision Credit Union, the program’s premier sponsor.

“Envision Credit Union considers the Best & Brightest Awards to be one of our top priorities, and it has been an honor to participate in this event, year after year” said Dr. Cassandra Grayson, Board Chair of Envision Credit Union.  “As a member owned credit union with its roots in education, a big part of our mission and responsibility is to encourage and support the education and mentorship of our youth. We are pleased to announce in honor of our 60^th year that we will provide $70,000 towards the foundation of this great program that recognizes the unique accomplishments of our students with their commitment to academics and service.”  

Home-schooled and Virtual School students are eligible to enter the program, joining public and private school students chosen by school principals, guidance counselors and teachers. Applications are accepted in each of 15 categories: Art; Athletics; Business; Career/Technical; Drama & Performing Arts; English and Language Arts; Journalism & Media Production; Leadership; Mathematics; Music; Public Speaking; Science & Health; Social Science, Technology and World Languages.

Students are also judged based on their school involvement and leadership, and a special focus is placed on community service. Recipients of a Best & Brightest Award are students who have gone above and beyond the minimum community service hours required by their school and have shown that they truly understand the importance of service to others as an ethic for life.

 After faculty and staff identify them, school-based winners will undergo a rigorous review and interview process, conducted on March 1, 2025 by a judging panel of community leaders. The judges will take numerous factors into account, including achievements in the individual field of study but also interview skills, overall academic success and a demonstrated track record of community service. Through this, three top students will be selected as the countywide winner, runner-up and honorable mention in each category. 

“With this being our 20^th Anniversary, we are looking forward to receiving an impressive number of quality applications,” said Laura Rogers, Program Director at World Class Schools of Leon County and coordinator of the Best & Brightest Awards program. “Like the students 20 years ago, these students are achieving academically and concentrating on their passions through creativity, compassion and community service. These awards stand out because they highlight the best of the best in many different areas.”  

Eighth-grade students, including those who are Home-schooled and Virtual School students, will also have an opportunity to be honored as the “Best and Brightest” of their age group, through a prompted essay contest. For the fifteenth year, eighth graders will be eligible for recognition in the form of a $500 award to the winner, $250 to the runner-up and $100 to the honorable mention honoree.

For more information on the Best & Brightest Awards, visit www.wcsleon.com/bestandbrightest.  Previous Best & Brightest winners are encouraged to contact Ms. Rogers to be a part of the “where are they now” platform to highlight throughout the anniversary year celebration.

Click HERE to read about our 2024 Best & Brightest Winners & Finalists.

Leon County Top High School Seniors demonstrate Academic Achievement and Community Service The Best & Brightest Awards Announces School-Based Winners

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Leon County’s most outstanding high school seniors were selected for the 19th year as the 134 finalists in the 2024 Best & Brightest Awards, which recognizes and honors public and private school students who excel both academically and in service to their school and community. The finalists from each school underwent an interview process culminating in the Best & Brightest Awards Ceremony, to be held Wednesday, May 15th, in which countywide winners will be announced.

“These students represent the best young minds in Leon County. Their dedication to service, academics and their community is remarkable,” said Laura Rogers, program director of World Class Schools which is a program of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and coordinator of the Best & Brightest Program. “Each year, I am astonished by their commitment to succeed and realize their goals. These high-achievers bring a spark to all who meet them and the energy will be amazing when we gather to honor them all at our awards ceremony in May.” The Best & Brightest Awards program, now in its nineteenth year, has awarded almost $900,000 in scholarships to over 2700 private and public high school seniors since its inception in 2006. The Best & Brightest Awards program’s premier sponsor is Envision Credit Union in partnership with Leon County Schools, World Class Schools of Leon County, The Tallahassee Democrat, Sachs Media, Gay and Ron Sachs, HUB International, Leon County Government, The City of Tallahassee, Comcast, Sperry Construction and the Florida League of Cities.

“The significant achievements of these seniors and their earnest commitment to service provides great hope for the future they will lead,” said Ron Sachs, chairman of Sachs Media and founder of the Best & Brightest Awards. “Their dedication to selfless service is an example to inspire and to cause other young people to aspire to be like them in service — to make the world a better place.”

On March 2nd, panels of select community leaders interviewed the finalists on subject areas such as public speaking, technology, and science to determine the winners for the countywide awards. This year, the 134 finalists will be evaluated on their academic achievement, leadership, and community service. A winner, runner-up, and honorable mention recipient will be named from each category.

To reach this point, finalists have demonstrated a record of academic achievement and expertise in one of 15 competitive categories. First-place winners in each category will receive scholarships of $1,500; runners-up will be awarded $750; and honorable mention recipients will receive $500. All other finalists will receive a $100 scholarship in recognition of their superlative accomplishments.

In addition to celebrating high school students, the Best & Brightest Awards program recognizes 59 younger Leon County students. The program conducts an Eighth Grade Essay Contest available to all middle schools in the Leon area. Three students will be chosen and win awards ranging from $100 to $500. The contest provides middle school students with opportunities to expand their experience and get awarded for it. The essay helps encourage them to reflect on the importance of community involvement and academic achievement as they enter their high school careers.

Another feature of the program, first introduced twelve years ago, is the Spirit of the Best & Brightest Award, commemorating the late Brooks Rogers. Presented to one of the top Best & Brightest winners who most exemplifies a deep commitment to civic duty and service, the student will receive a $2,500 scholarship in addition to his or her primary scholarship award winnings.

This year’s Seniors for the 2024 Best & Brightest Awards are:

Art Category: Jazlyn Howell (Chiles), Manjari Manoharan (Rickards), Saniah Maul (Godby),
Onyinyechukwu Okoli (FSUS), Isabella Pence (SJPII Catholic), Liana Rieger (Leon), Desiree Scorsone
(Lincoln), Mary Clayton Soto (Maclay), Serendipity Thompson (SAIL)

Athletics Category: Shaniah Bennett (Rickards), Carson Freeland (CCS), Kaitlyn Guyer (Maclay), Mary
Kerce (SAIL), Ashlyn Koerner (Lincoln), Patrick Koon (Leon), Camden Methvin (NFC), Aniyah Perry
(Godby), Cannon Ramsey (FSUS), Ryan Sumner (Chiles)

Business Category: Evelyn Guerrero (Godby), Christina Heil (SAIL), Rajan Jinadra (Maclay), Kenedi Lowe (FSUS), Kaylee Sandell (Leon), Kevin Wang (Rickards), Nelson Zhao (Chiles), Lydia Zhao (Lincoln),

Career/Technical Category: Nikolette Davis (Godby), Aria Fisher (Leon), Alexander Hawkes (FSUS),
Abhigna Konanur (Rickards), Karen Liang (Chiles), Korey Rosier (NFC), Nia Sampson (Lincoln), Skylar Van Whittle (SAIL), Eva Yi (Maclay)

Drama & Performing Arts Category: Peyton Bradford (CCS), Louis Dearman (Maclay), Natalie Gordon (Godby), Mallory Greisl (Leon), Oliver Jacobs (SAIL), Ella Leaman (Lincoln), Carter Nelson (FSUS), Jenny Nguyen (Rickards), Ivey Grace Ruff (Chiles), Trevor Waller (Home School)

English & Language Arts Category: Jonah Blay (Chiles), Dilahan Cavusoglu (FSUS), Karis Cliburn (CCS), Madison Decker (CLA), Sarah Duclos (Lincoln), Camille Friall (Leon), Ajax Jackson (Rickards), Sophia Krizner (Maclay), Llayna Maul (Godby), Layla Renfroe (SAIL)

Journalism & Media Production Category: Kayla Farlin (FSUS), Amelia Haggins (Leon), Dream Hogan (FAMU DRS), Leah Kiros (Maclay), Seth Pohler (CCS), Cathryn Reed (Chiles), Alice Scholl (Lincoln), Aubrey Stevens (Rickards)

Leadership Category: Madeleine Byrd (FSUS), Katie Chapman (NFC), Helen Conn (Leon ), Yasmine
Delgado (Godby), Madelyn Ellis (Home School), Copeland Frazee (Maclay), Erin Hinson (Lincoln), Avery
Miller (Chiles), Haylei Rackley (FAMU DRS), Hansini Reddy (Rickards), Citrus Thomas (SAIL)

Mathematics Category: Kenyera Caitlin Barrett (Godby), Lainey Colson (NFC), Fabian Delgado (FSUS),
Navya Kommu (Rickards), Harrison Mantzanas (Lincoln), Clark Mitchell (Maclay), Nima Mollaei (Chiles),
Samuel Plettl (CLA), Noah Summerlin (Leon)

Music Category: Karl Akuoko (Rickards), Christopher Blair (SAIL), Mary Caitlin Boulo (Home School),
Lainey Ford (Maclay), Sean Gonzalez (Lincoln), Timothy Hunter (Godby), Alexandra Jones (Leon),
Matthew Kahn (Chiles), Kyla Rogers (FSUS)

Public Speaking Category: Kinleigh Bass (Chiles), Venkat Maddipoti (Maclay), Sri ram Marthi (Lincoln),
Victoria McQueen (Leon), Ivan Rabbath (FSUS), Aditi Tula (Rickards)

Science & Health Category: Eric Brooks (FAMU DRS), Kaylah Feldman (CLA), Donovan Graven (NFC),
Triniece Haynes (Godby), Emmie Klekamp (Leon), Marcus Lampkin Jr. (Lincoln), Shaoyang Ma (Chiles),
Shiv Patel (Maclay), Haligh Smith (SAIL), Sarayu Vanga (Rickards), Amelia Wass de Czege (FSUS)

Social Science Category: Ahsen Beceriklier (Godby), Jada Bedford (Lincoln), Kathleen Bennett (Chiles),
John Daugherty (SJPII Catholic), Addixian Gillespie (CCS), Zoe Rubin (FSUS), Brinkley Snow (Maclay),
Velan Thanasekar (Rickards), Gillian Tran (Leon)

Technology Category: Nevaeh Green (FAMU DRS), Kavyashree Kadhirvelu (Rickards), Anaia Larkins
(Leon), Evan Nguyen (Maclay), Mika Rauschenberg (Godby), Andrew Young (Lincoln), James Zhang
(Chiles)

World Languages Category: Luther Auguste (Godby), Olivia Brangaccio (Lincoln), Mary Elizabeth Bussey
(Leon), Eryn Files (FSUS), Miles Gillespie (Home School), Geetika Kosuri (Rickards), Anne Mason Roberts
(Maclay), Heewon Seo (Chiles)

This year’s 8th Grade Essay Contest finalists are:

Christ Classical Academy: Elinor Douglas, Landon Huber, Evvy Wacksman
Community Christian School: Hannah Allen, Anna Cate Cole, Jayden Larson
Community Leadership Academy: Bella D’Aurio, Faith Simon, Ashlynn Yoshioka
Cornerstone Learning Community: Kalliope Flom, Kaia Holland, Kai Okui
Deerlake Middle School: Mia Hemenway, Yash Jhala, Arcadia Wang
Elizabeth Cobb Middle School: Zaryah Combs, Astrid Vandermark
Fairview Middle School: Aleena Ahmed, Adeogo Betiku, Jessica Wang
Florida State University Schools: Dublin Black, Ainsley Cate, Bryce Stewart
Fort Braden School: Addison Baxley, Addyson Rochester
Griffin Middle School: Marlon Marshall, Roana Pérez-Garcia, Danica Robinson
Holy Comforter Episcopal School: Charlie Conn, Leyton Gardner, Rebecca Gould
Leon County Home Schools: Julia Barbara Cox, Genevieve Lemmon
Maclay School: Autumn Daniels, Tucker Couch, Holt Antohi
Montford Middle School: Stokes Bryan, Katelyn Irwin, Riley Montalbano
Nims Middle School: Andrea Anaya-Rivas, Ava Burney, Kaliyah Jones
North Florida Christian School: Isaiah Bolton, Abbott Austin, Emma Scanlon
Raa Middle School: Jacob Dobbs
Renaissance Academy: Nassira Powell
Swift Creek Middle School: Sydney Roberts, Raine Toombs, Nola Wilson-Rafe
Tallahassee Classical School: Gwenyth Gray, Avalee Griffin, Jordyn White
Trinity Catholic School: Genevieve Gillespie, Ashley Lugo Purata, Maggie Smith
Woodville Middle School: Calie Hutchison, Jayden Meacham, Ryan Serran

Click HERE to view the newspaper insert for the 2023 Best & Brightest Award finalists.

Watch the full awards ceremony here:

2023 Best & Brightest Winners

ART CATEGORY

Winner – Jessie Powell, Chiles High School
Runner-Up – Citlali Patino, Leon High School
Honorable Mention – Malcolm Gambles II, Rickards High School

ATHLETICS CATEGORY

Winner – Jaysoni Beachum, Florida State University Schools
Runner-Up – Wyatt Townsend, Chiles High School
Honorable Mention – Esrael Yant, Godby High School

BUSINESS CATEGORY

Winner – Kaylin Jean-Louis, Florida State University Schools
Runner-Up – Lucille Whitehead, Maclay School
Honorable Mention – Julia Zhu, Chiles High School

CAREER/TECHNICAL CATEGORY

Winner – Heaven Ward, Maclay School
Runner-Up – Julian Berrios, Leon High School
Honorable Mention – Tanmay Haldiya, Rickards High School

DRAMA & PERFORMING ARTS CATEGORY

Winner – Jenna Jeon, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Merrell Webster, Maclay School
Honorable Mention – Elspeth Ann Abbott, Florida State University Schools

ENGLISH & LANGUAGE ARTS CATEGORY

Winner – Camille Resavage, Leon High School
Runner-Up – Emily Taylor, Rickards High School
Honorable Mention – Leah Pagan, Lincoln High School

JOURNALISM & MEDIA PRODUCTION CATEGORY

Winner – Krysten Hood, FAMU Developmental Research School
Runner-Up – Shania Brown, Godby High School
Honorable Mention – Robert Hosay, Maclay School

LEADERSHIP CATEGORY

Winner – Amaya Waymon, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Nia Terry, Florida State University Schools
Honorable Mention – Katherine Roth, SAIL High School

MATHEMATICS CATEGORY

Winner – Karthik Vendula, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Wesley Chen, Chiles High School
Honorable Mention – Rachel Bethke, Maclay School

MUSIC CATEGORY

Winner – Brandon Bourdeau, Chiles High School
Runner-Up – Emma Rodgers, Leon High School
Honorable Mention – Ja’lona Edwards, Godby High School

PUBLIC SPEAKING CATEGORY

Winner – Shubham Dixit, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Lauren Price, Maclay School
Honorable Mention – Mary Grace Slemp, Community Christian School

SCIENCE & HEALTH CATEGORY

Winner – Aribah Ahmed, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Cyrus Nadizadeh, Chiles High School
Honorable Mention – Anne Osterhaus, Leon High School

SOCIAL SCIENCE CATEGORY

Winner – Danny  Alex, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Alyssa Maleszewski, Lincoln High School
Honorable Mention – Caliyah Pearson, FAMU Developmental Research School

TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY

Winner – Sruthi Sentil, Rickards High School
Runner-Up – Grace Tran, Leon High School
Honorable Mention – Jackson Kottkamp, Maclay School

WORLD LANGUAGES CATEGORY

Winner – Bryn Cintron, Chiles High School
Runner-Up – Riane Williams, Leon High School
Honorable Mention – Teresa  Morgado, Maclay School

8^TH GRADE ESSAY CONTEST

Winner – Ella Dorn, North Florida Christian School
Runner-Up – Kaidence Kimbrough, Fairview Middle School
Honorable Mention – Ziad Seliem, Deerlake Middle School

SPIRIT OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST

Amaya Waymon, Rickards High School

From the Tallahassee Democrat

When the news of everyday pummels us with the dark daily truth of living in the most divided time of our lifetimes, it can pollute our perspective and obscure our optimism. That’s why we all need to look for and find the light anywhere that provides positive hope for the future.

We need to look no further than right here in Tallahassee to find that light. It shines brightly in the lives and good works of the 2023 class of our community’s “Best & Brightest” high school seniors. Now in its 18^th year, the “Best & Brightest” scholarship program honors the academic achievements of local students in their milestone year – but the heart of the program is all about selfless service to others. The dedication of these young leaders is inspiring because of the individual and collective impact of their service.

On May 17^th, the awards program at FSU’s Ruby Diamond Concert Hall at 6:30 p.m. will recognize 146 diversely talented seniors from public and private schools — and home schoolers – in 15 categories: Art, Athletics, Business, Career/Technical, Drama & Performing Arts, English & Language Arts, Journalism & Media Production, Leadership, Mathematics, Music, Public Speaking, Science & Health, Social Science, Technology, and World Languages.  In addition, 45 eighth graders will be recognized for their thoughtful essays about service to others.

The high school and middle school elements of the B&B program are intended to encourage and nurture a culture of service to others as an ethic for life. The public is invited to attend the ceremony because it will fill your heart with hope. It stands as one of the most energetic and inspiring events of any calendar year. Even if you can’t attend, you can see these amazing teenagers in this Sunday’s Tallahassee Democrat special ad about our honorees – and read all about the top 45 countywide winners’ wonderful works in The Democrat’s special section on May 18^th. The awards program will also be videotaped and broadcast all-year on Leon County Schools’ cable channel – Comcast Channel 1095.

What started as an idea nearly 20 years ago has been brought to life and sustained through the hard work of many folks and the generous support of many sponsors. Laura Rogers, leader of the Tallahassee Chamber’s World Class Schools program, does Herculean work in directing a great group of volunteers in producing the event annually. Title sponsor since the program’s inception is Envision Credit Union – partnered with Leon County Schools, World Class Schools, The Tallahassee Democrat, Sachs Media, HUB International, Leon County Government, the City of Tallahassee, Comcast, Sperry & Associates, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, AT&T, Walmart, and others that can be found on the program’s website http://wcsleon.com/bestandbrightest/ My wife and I are proud to also be sponsors of this wonderful scholarship program.

Over the years, the program has awarded more than $867,000 in scholarships to more than 2,400 seniors and fostered an influential push for up-and-coming students to aspire to be a “Best & Brightest” senior. That culture of service that the program respects, recognizes, and rewards has gone viral in the nearly two decades that our community’s teens have been encouraged to engage in service in so many helpful ways.

The good news and bright light to comfort us all rests in the facts and truth about our community’s young leaders of the future in every field of endeavor – and their heartfelt devotion to service.

Ron Sachs, Founder/Chairman Emeritus of Sachs Media, created the concept for the Best & Brightest Scholarship Program in 2005 to encourage generations to come to embrace service to others.

Christ Classical Academy
Miriam Hall
Timothy Hughes
Owen Mitchell

Community Christian School
Jackson Geitz
Sydney Inman
Micha Nerland

Deerlake Middle School
Shayan Khan
Shaoxuan Ma
Ziad Seliem

Elizabeth Cobb Middle School
Aria Falconer
Jerusalem Temuari

Fairview Middle School
Saanvi Akula
Kaitence Kimbrough
Saisha Vangadar

FAMU Developmental Research School
Ashara Martin

Florida State University Schools
Genesis Cruzado
Alaina Shalley
Garyn Washington

Fort Braden School
Avery Byrd
Abigail Miller
Alexia Torres Sierra

Griffin Middle School
Auburn Groves
Luis Perez
Malaya Williams

Holy Comforter Episcopal School
Ellis Howard
Jackson O’Steen
Sarah Samaan

Montford Middle School
Christopher Bates
Avery Campbell
Gavin Poucher

North Florida Christian School
Ella Dorn
Addison Lord
Josiah Vazquez

Swift Creek Middle School
Emory Buning
Lexi Newton
Medha Shanbhag

Tallahassee School of Math and Science
Shelby Fogler
Malik Rollins
Cameron Tucker

Trinity Catholic School
Leah Enfinger
Elizabeth Roeder
Riley Young

Woodville Middle School
Brayden Simmons
Ja’Nae Washington
Charlie Zimmer