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Meet our 2024 Scholarship Winners

Scholarship & Mentoring Program

For the 22nd consecutive year, Carnival Foundation purchased scholarships from the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and awarded 15 of our students with four-year Florida College Plan scholarships. The students went through a rigorous application process and were chosen based on academic performance, leadership skills, community involvement and interviews. This was the 15th year Carnival Foundation presented these fully prepaid scholarships to college-bound high school seniors. The scholarships were presented at a Miami HEAT game with Carnival Corporation President and CEO Josh Weinstein handing out the awards.

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Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

Scholarship & Mentoring Program

For our last meeting in May, we celebrated our graduating seniors with a special visit that included awards for Toastmasters and grades, speeches from senior students, performances by select seniors, a visit from graduates of the program, video of the past year and slideshow that featured each of the grads. Congratulations to all of our graduates! We wish you every success as you embark on the next chapter of your lives.

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Former Miami HEAT Player Shane Battier

Seeing Stars

In February, former Miami HEAT player Shane Battier inspired the Carnival Scholarship and Mentoring Program students and mentors with a dynamic presentation. Shane spoke about winning as a team and helping those around you win, creating bonds, and showing respect to earn respect. He talked about the importance of mentorship and to think of the mentee-mentor relationship as a little team. And, he spoke about how no one wakes up great, that to be successful, you have to fail and get back up.

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April is National Volunteer Month

F.U.N. Team

April is National Volunteer Month, and Carnival Foundation’s collective efforts made a meaningful impact in our communities. More than 400 dedicated volunteers joined together to make a difference for 23 events, spanning various causes and locations. For the first time, Carnival Foundation extended outreach beyond South Florida, organizing events in Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas. With the support of sister brands Princess and Seabourn in Santa Clarita and Holland America in Seattle, we fostered a broader sense of community engagement.

From cleaning up beaches and sorting food at local shelters to assisting with Special Olympic games, Carnival Foundation endeavors to make a meaningful impact and have some fun along the way. Visit the F.U.N. Team album to see more photos from the various events.

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Emmy Award-Winning Newscaster Calvin Hughes

Seeing Stars

Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes from Miami’s WPLG Local 10 spoke to the Carnival Scholarship and Mentoring Program students and mentors in April, offering advice on how to be successful. His main message was that you have to stay committed and focused on what you want to do and work hard toward achieving that goal.

Congrats to the Class of 2023!

Scholarship & Mentoring Program

Our final meeting for the 2022/2023 school year culminated with each senior “walking across the stage” and getting their personalized certificate. We gave everyone cords in the Carnival colors and Big Brothers Big Sisters colors. As as farewell gift, all of the seniors also received a graduation bear with a shirt that had their name on the back. We’re so proud of this group of outstanding students, and it’s been a privilege to watch them grow over the past four years.

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Meet our 2023 Scholarship Winners

Scholarship & Mentoring Program

Recently the Carnival Scholarship & Mentoring Program presented our 16 scholarship recipients with their Dell laptops at the Miami HEAT game on center court. The halftime event is a highlight for these students and their families. Each student was awarded one of our scholarships after a rigorous application and interview process. This is the 14th year Carnival Foundation has presented these fully prepaid scholarships to college-bound high school seniors. In total, more than 211 students have earned the benefits of our scholarships. Congratulations to all of the recipients!

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CCL Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal

Seeing Stars

For our final visitor of the year, we had a larger-than-life guest. Students and mentors were excited that NBA superstar and Carnival Cruise Line Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal popped into the zoom room to share his thoughts and advice, and take questions from the students. His message to seniors: “The real world starts today. Some will go to college, some will get job, but follow your dreams whatever they may be. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot become whoever you want to become.

“Before you succeed you must first learn to fail. I went left twice, let me go right. Then let me go straight. Sometimes you have to fight. You have to work, navigate, go through trials and tribulations. I urge you to never give up. And make it fun, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Meet the 2022 Scholarship Recipients

Scholarship & Mentoring Program

This past weekend, Carnival Scholarship & Mentoring Program awarded 15 college scholarships to graduating seniors. In addition to the scholarship, the students received new laptops courtesy of Dell. It’s been an amazing journey for these students, who began at the Miami Heat Academy and came through our program in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami.

Thank you to all of the students and their families for joining us, and thank you to Gale Nelson, president & CEO of BBBS; Michael McCullough, chief marketing officer for Miami HEAT; Hakim Benzit, systems engineering manager for DELL; and Vicky Rey, VP guest care & communications of Carnival Cruise Line for helping us celebrate our students.

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2020 FIU Carnival Gold Scholars

Partners

The FIU Carnival Gold Scholars Reception and Dinner was held recently at the FIU Biscayne Bay Campus/Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. The Carnival Gold Scholars program awards renewable, full-tuition scholarships, including room and board, of up to $20,000 each to five new qualifying students every year. Meet the five new students selected to receive a scholarship: Celesse Temes, Danaisy Abascal-Yero, Tia Yahnke, Keyshawn Cole, and Jose Bernal. This is the sixth cohort of FIU Carnival Gold Scholars. To-date, the program has had 27 students that have participated in the program and 10 that have graduated. Congratulations to the new class!

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