The School District of Lee County is proud to announce that 33 students have been named 2026 Carson Scholars, each earning a $1,000 college scholarship in recognition of their academic excellence and dedication to serving others. An additional 92 Lee County students have earned recognition as scholars who have proudly maintained this honor.
Lee County’s 125 honorees are part of the largest class in the Carson Scholars Fund’s 30-year history, with 706 new scholars and 994 recognized scholars named across the country this year. It is a national stage, and Lee County students are standing tall on it. To date, 687 scholarships have been awarded to students from Lee County schools, a number that grows each year and reflects what is happening every day inside our classrooms.
Carson Scholars are students in grades 4 through 11 who maintain a minimum 3.75 GPA and go above and beyond in service to their communities. They are nominated by educators who see in them something that goes beyond a grade point average: students who show up, give back, and inspire the people around them. Students who earn the honor and continue to meet those same standards in the years that follow carry the title forward as returning Carson Scholars.
All 2026 Carson Scholars and their families are invited to celebrate at the Lee County Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center.
2026 New Carson Scholars
The following Lee County students are first-time recipients of the Carson Scholar scholarship:
Rian Peguero – Grade 4 – Veterans Park Academy for the Arts
Zoe Arguelles Almeida – Grade 4 – Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Littleton Elementary School
Mia Acevedo Colon – Grade 5 – Lehigh Elementary School
Dominick Beyers – Grade 5 – Sunshine Elementary School
Rose Boogaard – Grade 5 – River Hall Elementary School
Ryan Bowers – Grade 5 – Gateway Elementary School
Aerin Bragg – Grade 5 – Tanglewood Elementary School
Alessandra Clare – Grade 5 – Colonial Elementary School
Adalyn Contos – Grade 5 – The Alva School
Jaelyn Cummings – Grade 5 – Pelican Elementary School
Neha Gelli – Grade 5 – Heights Elementary School
Callie Hamstra – Grade 5 – Diplomat Elementary School
Ella Harper – Grade 5 – Gulf Elementary School
Julianna Karrels – Grade 5 – Mirror Lakes Elementary School
Caroline Kaye – Grade 5 – Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School
Violet Kennedy – Grade 5 – Orange River Elementary School
Bryce Kowalski – Grade 5 – Rayma C. Page Elementary School
Valeria Leon Reyes – Grade 5 – San Carlos Park Elementary School
Bella Mantilla – Grade 5 – Tropic Isles Elementary School
Ellie Ortiz Zabolotnyj – Grade 5 – Spring Creek Elementary School
Franklin Ruiz – Grade 5 – Pine Island Elementary School
Mason Sammet – Grade 5 – Villas Elementary School
Cadence Simonian – Grade 5 – Skyline Elementary School
Theia Suriyasena – Grade 5 – Orangewood Elementary School
Cody Zebley – Grade 5 – Oasis Elementary School South
Anna Kovarik – Grade 6 – The Sanibel School
Jezaria Earsley – Grade 8 – Diplomat Middle School
Isabell Schade – Grade 8 – Oasis Middle School
Emily Skocik – Grade 8 – North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts
Yesid Murillo – Grade 8 – Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts
Ethan Buller – Grade 11 – North Fort Myers High School
Isabella Martinez – Grade 11 – Bonita Springs High School
Ivelysse Santiago – Grade 11 – Mariner High School
Four Lee County seniors have achieved something truly extraordinary: earning the Carson Scholar distinction eight consecutive times. Every single year, they have met the bar: a minimum 3.75 GPA, a demonstrated commitment to humanitarian service, and a nomination from an educator who believes in them. They did it in middle school. They did it through high school. And they are doing it again right now, as seniors preparing to take everything Lee County has given them into the next chapter of their lives.
Congratulations to these eight-time Carson Scholars and an extraordinary example of what Lee County students are capable of:
Kurukulasuriya Fernando – Grade 12 – Dunbar High School
Catelyn Holcomb – Grade 12 – Cypress Lake High School
Mia Ottolini – Grade 12 – Riverdale High School
Reagan Wood – Grade 12 – North Fort Myers High School