Addition Financial Foundation expands scholarships, awards 4 Seminole County students

Four Seminole County Public Schools students were among 10 recipients selected for Addition Financial Foundation scholarships, a 20th-anniversary class that the foundation says is its largest to date. Each student received $2,500 for the 2026-2027 academic year, extending a program that has become a steady source of help for Central Florida students facing college costs.

The Seminole County winners were Gabriela Velasco of Lake Howell High School, Maykah Cowan of Lyman High School, Deegan Kellogg of Oviedo High School and Aryelle Caraballo of Winter Springs High School. The other recipients were Leo Merlano of Bishop Moore High School, Adam Gandia of DeLand High School, Maria Eduarda of Horizon High School, Charmeine Muth of Olympia High School, Carolyn Bass of Harvard Extension School and Daniel Garcia of Nova Southeastern University.

Recipients were chosen from essays and recommendation letters that emphasized financial education, community service and giving back, according to the foundation. The scholarship page says the program is open to current Addition Financial account holders, and this year’s application window closed Feb. 28, with winners notified in May. The foundation’s materials say the scholarship currently supports eight high school seniors and two master’s-level students, all receiving the same $2,500 award.

For families watching tuition, books and living expenses rise, the benefit is immediate. Charmeine Muth, an Olympia High School senior, said the scholarship will help cover basic necessities and ease the stress of paying for college. That kind of pressure relief is exactly what the foundation says the Joseph A. Melbourne Jr. Annual Scholarship Program is meant to provide, alongside a push for students to stay engaged in their schools and communities.

Cristina Lehman, the foundation’s executive director, said the scholarship program has been a cornerstone of its mission for two decades and is designed to support students at critical points in their academic journeys while helping build the next generation of community leaders. The foundation says it gives $70,000 a year in scholarships through the program, and the 2026 expansion marked a clear increase in the number of students served.