Thanks to fund-raising principally through our Holly Days Home Tour and strong community support, the Punta Gorda Garden Club is delighted to award PGGC Higher Education Scholarships of $5000 each to one student from Port Charlotte High School and two previous scholarship recipients. These very deserving young men and women have demonstrated academic excellence, extra-curricular involvement and clearly defined goals for their future studies and career plans.

Jordan Meckstroth, graduated in 2024 from Lemon Bay High School, and attends Florida International University. She has previously received our scholarship award. Jordan is majoring in Marine Biology and Chemistry.  Her career goals are to pursue a Ph.D. and to become a research scientist.  She is currently involved in lab-based research as a volunteer intern with the Heithaus Lab Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology Lab.  She continues to study the movement of sharks based upon their diet and now processes samples of stark tissue by grinding the samples to prepare them for isotope analysis. She currently holds a 3.92 GPA at Florida International University.

Click here to see a video about Jordan.

Cole Beiner graduated from Port Charlotte High School in 2024.  He attends Florida State University majoring in Environment Science and Policy with a 3.74 GPA. He has previously received our scholarship award. He is the co-president and founder of Beautify Florida State University, which works in tandem with Keep America Beautiful and Keep Florida Beautiful.  He is a member of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, and a member of the Environmental Service Program at Florida State University.  He is working under Dr. Ming Ye with a project to functionalize bio-sand filtration using proteins extracted from Moringa oleifera seeds. He also joined an undergraduate research program to study the thermal physiology of the Atlantic Stingray at FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory.

Hannah Dickinson is graduating from Port Charlotte High School in May 2026. She plans to attend either Florida Atlantic University or the University of Florida majoring in Biological Sciences.  She currently holds a 4.3 weighted GPA taking honors and advanced placement courses.  She has excelled in courses, including Environmental Management and Marine Science. She was selected to attend the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment and served on a Strategic Planning Committee and Mental Health Sub-Committee for Charlotte County Public Schools. She plays on the Varsity Softball team.  She was elected as high schoolstudent government president.  She serves as a Southeast Girl Ambassador for the Girl Scouts.  She has worked at Chick-fil-A in Port Charlotte for over two years.

Applications for 2027 Punta Gorda Garden Club Scholarships will be available in January. For more information contact Scholarship Chair Nancy Knaus at nancyknaus@yahoo.com or 413-297-7187.