My name is Lorenz Anderson. I am a native of the Sunshine State we call Florida, residing in Gainesville, Florida. I enjoy the wonders of Florida’s natural environmental habitat in my spare time. Nothing is more peaceful than waking up in the morning, grabbing your fishing pole, shrimp bait, jumping in a small boat, and casting your line to catch swordfish, red snapper, and bass. Jumping in a propeller boat going down the Everglades with the sun going down is a sight. Our wild natural springs allow us to go snorkeling in underwater caves like the Devil Den or swim with manatees in Homosassa Springs. Our lakes are great for canoeing, and I love hunting season. Hunting deer and turkeys is a challenging and rewarding experience. However, Gator hunting is a rollercoaster ride and experience unlike any other. Regularly, after work or class, I try to relax by doing physical activities such as playing basketball, racquetball, or football. If I’m completely wiped to zone out, I will just play video games.
I started at Santa Fe College to get a vocational certification trade-in as a plumber technician. After receiving a trade, I decided to continue my education to further advance my physical and practical education skills. I am attending Santa Fe College, Majoring in Construction management, and working to receive my real estate license. Besides being a full-time student, I am also a plumber working part-time; working has provided experience and financially helps me pay the bills since I am an independent student.
In America, we face a homelessness crisis with a limited housing supply and a job epidemic with few skilled, trained workers. I hate to admit it, but homelessness constantly plagues my mind every first of the month when my rent is due. Many take housing for granted, and few have been homeless. You can come home to a warmed-cooked meal or simply turn the key to unlock your personalized sanctuary. We Floridians understand the destruction of Mother Nature and how your home holds treasured moments that can be swept away just from a storm. However, with the skills I acquired at Santa Fe College, I was privileged to help build a family and home through Habitat for Humanity. The experience left a profound mark on my life. To use my hands and knowledge to build a foundation for a family to weather storms and call home was a great opportunity.
My future aspiration is to make a difference in low-income communities, providing a pathway of educational skill trade opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship in order to create a legacy of generational wealth through affordable housing ownership for low-income individuals. I am pursuing a Construction Management degree at Santa Fe to start a construction business. Beyond offering affordable, structural, safe homes, my mission includes providing job opportunities for those with few options and giving back to poverty-stricken communities. I am dedicated to sparking economic change in communities, shifting from survival to growth, with the skills allotted to me to physically build my community with my hands, one home at a time.
My long-term goal is to open a trade-skill school in poverty-stricken areas. Trades workers are essential to the American economy; however, high schools across America have scrapped programs, which has created a gap in skill acquisition and trade accessibility essential for our generation’s prosperity. Previous generations benefitted from high school apprenticeships like woodwork shops, auto mechanics, plumbing, electrical, and home economics, ensuring viable employment.
My initial reaction to the news alerting me that I had been chosen as a recipient of the esteemed Gillman Bruton Capone Law Group’s Smart Saving Scholarship was a state of shock. I had to reread the congratulatory announcement to ensure I did not imagine being awarded the scholarship.
Consumed by a profound gratitude, I am humbled by the firm’s unwavering generosity. This scholarship lightens my financial burden for purchasing books and is essential for my academic success, allowing me to focus on my studies as a student. I would like to convey my most sincere acknowledgment of your commitment to fostering the growth of society through education, paralleled with philanthropic endeavors, which embody true grace and innovation.
I thank you from every fiber of my being, for selecting me as the recipient of this scholarship the Gillman Bruton Capone Law Group has sponsored. I pledge to carry the flame of this honor with dignity, buoyed by the faith of remarkable charity as you have provided.
To view the current Smart Saving Scholarship campaign, please visit our scholarship information page.
Gillman, Bruton, Capone Law Group
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