PCA – Tampa Bay hosted its Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship Awards for the Class of 2024 at Tropicana Field as the Tampa Bay Rays took on the Chicago White Sox! 

May 16, 2024: Scholarship winners and their families joined PCA’s staff, Board members, and mentors on May 8 in an event to wrap-up the year-long scholarship and mentorship program. Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Superintendent, Van Ayres, threw out the first pitch and got the night started! Hillsborough County’s Athletic Director, Lanness Robinson, and Pinellas County’s Superintendent Kevin Hendrick and new County Athletic Director, Marc Allison, also joined PCA for the evening in suites donated by the Rays.

The night began with scholarship winners being treated to an on-field experience while joining Tampa Bay Rays’ President and PCA-Tampa Bay Board Chair, Matt Silverman, for photo opportunities. 

Between innings, a total of $50,000 was awarded to 25 local student-athletes with each receiving $2,000. These students have demonstrated a positive impact through sport on three levels: by making themselves, their teammates, and their sports better. Following PCA’s most-competitive application period ever, students participated in the program that focuses on mentoring and networking opportunities as they reflect back on what life lessons and life skills they learned through sports and how they can transition them into the next phases of their lives. While some will continue as student-athletes into college, not everyone will. 

“I was worried that not going on to do a college level sport would make me feel disconnected from fellow winners and mentors, but it has been the opposite! I’ve connected with so many driven kids that have a variety of different goals for their career and college paths, which has been so cool to learn about. This program has just been such a comforting environment and I’m going to college more settled and excited for my future because of it.”
– Emerson Lewis, Alonso High School, Florida State University

“I really enjoyed being able to connect with mentors and learn about their experiences, as well as get advice from them. For me, it was great to see other options besides playing sports in college, and an opportunity to understand there are so many more things out there to try.”
–Maya Matheney, St Petersburg High School, Princeton University

PCA’s local scholarship program has provided over $450,000 in scholarships to Tampa Bay student-athletes since 2015. Rising seniors in the Class of 2025 interested in being part of the program can fill out this quick form to get alerted when the application window opens in August.

To conclude the recognition and awards event, the local PCA chapter and its scholarship winners received a ‘shout out’ on the Jumbotron during the bottom of the third inning from game announcers and film crew videoing students in the Left Field Terrace Suite.