The man many Floridian’s refer to as “superman,” Tim Tebow, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Winged Foot dinner gala. But he won’t be the only attendee. We here at The Immokalee Foundation are celebrating Immokalee High School student Samantha Molina’s invitation to attend the dinner.
Samantha will attend the 21st annual awards banquet as Immokalee High School’s Winged Foot nominee. The event, which seeks to recognize the best scholar-athlete from each of the Collier County high schools, takes place at the Naples Grande Beach Resort on May 27 and is sure to be a star-studded affair. Guests at this year’s event include top college football coaches, NFL players and coaches, politicians, former Olympians, and former baseball stars.
Find out Samantha’s thoughts on the event after the jump.
Samantha shared some of her thoughts as she gears up for the event.
- The top 5 things I’m most looking forward to are:
- Receiving the award.
- Meeting Tim Tebow.
- I can invite eight people to attend, including some of my teachers, coaches, my mother, and my best friend.
- That night having fun no matter what the end results are.
- Let’s hope the food is good…lol.
- The person I’m most excited to meet is Tim Tebow. I’m not a Gator fan, but a Tim Tebow fan. Who doesn’t want to have a conversation with an NFL player? Go Broncos!
- If I had to give a speech at the dinner, here’s what I would say: Hello everyone. I’m glad that all of you can make it tonight. To my fellow peers, congrats! Being here tonight is an honor and it wasn’t easy getting here, and I don’t mean the hour drive. I mean it took a lot of will power, dedication, discipline, and heart to come to this finish line. Juggling sports, clubs, and academics was something I learned not everyone can do but is possible — and I did it. For four years! Did I miss out on those crazy parties that my friends talk about? Yes. But I would not take any of it back. Helping my community was my enjoyment on the weekends and there is nothing I love more than sports. Playing and competing is what I live for. Sports give me that satisfaction and wanting more in life! The best of luck to all.
- The Winged Foot event means the world to me. Only one scholar athlete from Immokalee gets to go. To me, that’s like winning the lottery. Even though I know I haven’t won, I still feel like a home town hero to the Immokalee community.
This year, the Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Foundation increased the amount given to the finalists for its award from $3,000 to $5,000. The winner receives a $10,000 scholarship — $2,500 a year for four years; the other finalists receive one-time stipends.
Samantha is a senior in high school and a participant in Take Stock in Children and Future Builders of America. We are all very proud of Samantha and wish her the best of luck.
