Naples Press Club awards scholarships to Lely, Immokalee high school students

The Scholarship Committee of the Naples Press Club has completed interviews of high school candidates for the Terrance J. Miller Journalism Scholarships and selected two area students for the four-year, $1,000 scholarship awards.

Julia Barnett of Marco Island, a student at Lely High School, will attend Colorado State University-Pueblo, where she plans to major in mass communications. She has served as editor of her school newspaper and has also sold advertising for the publication.

Bruna Pierre of Immokalee, who attends Immokalee High School, will attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she plans to major in journalism. She was active in student government, the Scholars' Club, track and field, and was a tutor at the Guadalupe Center.

This year's scholarship winners join six previous Naples Press Club winners, all of whom are now in college. Finishing their sophomore year are Josh White and Angelica Rojas at the University of Florida; Brooke Mundy, Florida Gulf Coast University; and Caitlin Crum, Florida State University. Completing their freshman year are Nicole Groll at the University of South Florida and Rebecca Mysels, University of Florida.

The scholarships are implemented with the assistance of the Collier County Education Foundation.

The Naples Press Club was founded in 1996 by Terrance J. Miller, who served as the club's first president. Today there are 145 members. In addition to its scholarship program, the club also sponsors the annual Authors and Books Festival and, along with the Marine Corps League, The Honor the Free Press Day luncheon. Members recently hosted an event in Naples for the National Press Club.