Misael comes from an immigrant family and experienced many financial hardships while rising out of poverty. His goal was to excel academically and in sports. He qualified and enrolled in the HCHS International Baccalaureate (IB) program and joined the track and XC teams. His performance in both arenas has been outstanding for 4 years. He graduated with a 4.6 GPA from the IB School and set many personal track and XC records and is attending Rice University in Fall 2017.

While competing in athletics, Anna has experienced life threatening anaphylactic allergic reaction to peanuts and peanut based products. Therefore, it was necessary for immediate medical treatment and/or remedies be always available while competing. Her fears of shock and possible death have made her life extremely difficult and very worrisome. Anna was awarded an academic scholarship to attend Florida Gulf Coast University and graduated a year early with a 3.745 GPA and Cum Laude honors in May 2021 (See COVID-19) to become the AAO Scholarship Foundation’s eighth Hall of Fame winner. Congratulations Anna! She has received and accepted a job offer to work after graduation as Director of Operation, at AngeLink, Inc. a startup fintech female-centric platform in Naples, FL. At AngeLink, she oversees all operations such as: app and web development including UX/UI, user acceptance testing and quality assurance, digital marketing (social media, blogs, emails), ambassador program, employee hiring and management, demos and PR, risk compliance and antifraud policies. Good luck, Anna!

Xiomara had to overcome family hardships she witnessed, including parental difficulty. These family issues resulted in she and her mother moving and living in many locations for a few years. Through the domestic turmoil and housing changes, she stayed very close to her mother. She continued to draw from those difficult times to excel at Haines City High School and University of South Florida. Xiomara graduated in the Fall of 2020 with a 3.68 GPA and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Gender Studies on a Pre-Physician Assistant track. She intends to go to nursing school within the next year or two and later go on to become a Advanced Practice Provider like an APRN or PA. Xiomara currently works full time as a Patient Access Representative at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa FL. Good luck, Xiomara.

Matt represents the principles of the AAO Scholarship Foundation by his academic and athletic accomplishments. His ambition to attend a private small college with difficult admission requirements is commendable. Matt experienced many adversities as a minority while attending public schools. He is the son of Bobby Cranston, a former coach from HCHS that also worked with Coach Robin Wagman for many years coaching the track and field team. Matt was awarded an academic scholarship to the Stetson University and graduated with a 3.636 GPA and Cum Laude honors May 2020 (See COVID-19) to become the AAO Scholarship Foundation’s sixth Hall Of Fame winner. Congratulations Matt! He also tried out as a novice for Stetson‘s Mens Crew and rowed in all competitions for 4 years. During his senior year, his team was ranked 18th nationally. Matt personally won the Founding Crew ‘89 Award which exemplifies competitiveness and dedication his senior year. His work study program was with Stetson Wellness and Recreation where he received the Heart of Service Award and he was also a member of the Stetson Athletics Leadership Academy. Matt plans to attend graduate school to earn a Doctors in Physical Therapy. Good luck, Matt!

Tiffany’s adversity began as a 5-year-old child at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. Here she survived pneumonia and empyema, which caused a 105-degree temperature, a collapsed left lung, and multiple emergency surgeries to correct her life-threatening diagnosis. After one month in the hospital and a long rehabilitation, she returned to school a very weak child and 20 pounds lighter. She is the daughter of Bobby Cranston, a former coach from HCHS that also worked with Coach Robin Wagman for many years coaching the track and field team. During her later years at RCHS she overcame continuing respiratory issues and reflected on her past medical experience to enable her to succeed academically and athletically. She graduated as her class's salutatorian with a 4.5 GPA, and competed in three regional XC meets, and two regional weightlifting meets throughout her high school career. She attended FSU during her freshman year in college and transferred to Stetson University to begin her sophomore year. Tiffany was awarded an academic scholarship to attend Stetson University and graduated a year early with a 3.745 GPA and Magna Cum Laude honors in May 2020 (See COVID-19) to become the AAO Scholarship Foundation’s seventh Hall of Fame winner. Congratulations Tiffany! She has received and accepted a job offer to work after graduation in the finance industry. Good luck, Tiffany!

Tedlin, who was adopted at an early age, lost her father at age five to a fateful disease. Growing up in a single-parent home and being a minority, she had a very difficult time in her early school years. Through all of this personal adversity, Tedlin maintained an extremely positive attitude. She had a very high GPA in high school and was Co-Captain of the tennis team for two years. She was awarded a student-athlete scholarship to the University of North Florida and graduated with Cum Laude honors May 2018 to become the AAO Scholarship Foundation’s fifth Hall Of Fame winner. Congratulations Tedlin!

These past four years have been fantastic for her. She started as Membership Coordinator for the Women in Business Society during her Sophomore year, voted Vice President her junior year, and served her Senior year as President. She also was a member of the Delta Gamma social women’s fraternity and inducted as member of the Greek honor society “Order of Omega”. She has accepted a job offer with FISGlobal in Jacksonville FL beginning in late June 2018.

Rebecca's mother was diagnosed with cancer while she was in middle school. This was very traumatic for her and the family, since her father lost his job about the same time. Her mother is now a seven-year survivor, and her father has been back working full-time for 3 years. After playing volleyball for Coach Robin Wagman as a freshman at Haines City High School, she had to play for three different high school varsity coaches after Coach Wagman lost her five-year battle with cancer on February 27, 2011. Rebecca fought through these personal adversities, graduated fourth in her IB School-East class, and received a student-athlete scholarship from Rollins College for the Fall 2014. Rebecca graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors and was the Class of 2018 Valedictorian.
 
She also became the fourth AAO Scholarship Foundation HOF winner. Keeping things in perspective has never been a problem for her. “My family’s struggles have been a constant motivator for me, on and off the court,” says Wilson, an economics major and libero on the volleyball team. “I know how important this is for my future. It was a motivator for me to be successful in school.”
On Mother’s Day, Wilson followed in the footsteps of her sister, Jessica Wilson ’15—also a volleyball player who majored in economics—by graduating as valedictorian. Their mom, cancer-free for six years, joked that she doesn’t know how lightning struck twice.
A native of nearby Winter Haven, Wilson chose Rollins because she wanted her “favorite people” (parents Robert and Julie) to be able to attend her games.
She also wanted a college that struck the right balance between academics and athletics—and it didn’t hurt that, for one year, she’d get to play on the same team as Jessica.

While at Rollins, Wilson served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, racked up several defensive accolades on the court, and held a marketing internship at the Orlando City Soccer Club. After taking a break this summer to travel domestically and abroad, she’s aiming to begin a marketing career in the financial services industry.

Congratulations, Destynee! Our 3rd AAO Scholarship Foundation Hall Of Fame Award winner in 2017 from Southeastern University ’17 and Winter Haven High School ‘12 And our FIRST doctorate degree for an AAO Scholarship recipient! Star red-shirt 5th year basketball player on academic and athletic scholarships at Southeastern University in Lakeland FL! Volunteer worker during AAO golf fundraising events. Destynee will continue working at Publix in a management position with the Pharmacy Department at Lakeland FL headquarters. Good luck, Destynee!
 
Destynee Arnold was an admirable student-athlete AAO Scholarship winner in June of 2012 after graduating from Winter Haven High School. She had a brilliant GPA over the 4 years of high school while trying to overcome a season ending knee injury during the basketball playoffs. Through it all, she succeeded in a masterful way to continue to lead the Winter Haven High School women’s team to a remarkable year of play. Upon becoming an AAO Hall of Fame Winner, Destynee graduated from Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL in April 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. She qualified for the Dean’s List at SEU by graduating with a 3.5 GPA, while balancing academics along with participating on the Varsity basketball team. She is currently enrolled in the doctorate program at the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy as she pursues her dream of becoming a pharmacist. At USF, she is a member of the Kappa Epsilon Professional Pharmacy Fraternity as well as the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, where she currently serves as the Treasurer. While in pharmacy school, Destynee is also an employee for Publix as a Pharmacy Intern.

Brianna Whitman was a most commendable student-athlete AAO Scholarship winners in June of 2012 after graduating from George Jenkins High School-Lakeland. She created a very extraordinary GPA all 4 years and was inducted into the NHS. She sustained an almost season ending muscle tear injury that interrupted her competitive synchronized swimming schedule her senior season. After an extensive and difficult recuperation, she persevered and returned to competition to lead the team to many district medals.

Lauren Wagman was the second extremely admirable student-athlete AAO Scholarship winner in June of 2011 after graduating from International Baccalaureate Haines City East. She maintained a very high GPA of 3.68 all 4 years of IB School and started and starred on both the WSB and WVB teams for 4 and 2 years respectively and winning all-county recognition in both sports. All the while, she courageously supported her mother-teacher-coach in her 5-year battle to overcome cancer. She was also by her side every step of the way during her multiple chemotherapy and radiation treatments over those years. Lauren pledged Kappa Delta Sorority at the University of Florida her freshman year and graduated with a 3.23 GPA in 4 years in June 2015. The second semester of her junior year, she studied abroad at the Florida State University campus in Florence, Italy. She and her classmates added many short travel trips to
Rome, Pisa, Sicily, Vienna, Barcelona, and Dublin. After graduation, Lauren, substitute taught middle school in the Polk County School System for a year. She then joined Publix Super Markets, Inc. as a Regional Property Manager of Real Estate and now lives in Dade City, FL with her husband, Bronson Quinn. The happy couple were married in Boca Grande, FL on Saturday, April 29, 2017.