MELBOURNE, FLA. — Two of the brightest young minds in the Sunshine State are starting classes this week at Florida Tech as something more than first-year students. Carter Tomasky and Alina Janshon are also 2024 Farmer Scholars.
Named for Phillip W. Farmer, the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of L3Harris Corp. and past chairman of the Florida Tech Board of Trustees, the 15-year-old Farmer Scholars program is the university’s most prestigious financial award.
This is the first time Florida Tech has named two Farmer Scholars for a single year.
Both Tomasky and Janshon will receive full, four-year scholarships annually and a host of other benefits awarded to Farmer Scholars, who to be eligible must be Florida residents and high school graduates among the top 5 percent of their class who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and outstanding personal character.
Given their grades, extracurricular success and glowing letters of recommendation, it is clear both are deserving recipients.
Tomasky is a Brooksville resident who graduated from Frank W. Springstead High School in nearby Spring Hill. He is planning to double major in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics.
“Mechanical engineering is at the intersection of numerous scientific fields and limitless applications, creating an infinite potential,” Tomasky wrote in an email when asked why he wanted to major in that field. “A mechanical engineer can focus on common household appliances, develop industrial machinery, or complement the work of other types of engineers. I am currently undecided on what exactly I will pursue, but I can be certain any specialization chosen would contribute to the betterment of the world.”
Tomasky spent much of his illustrious high school career contributing to the betterment of his peers even as he completed a stellar four years with a 4.67 GPA and a 1580 on his SAT. He was in the top 1% of his class.
He provided guidance and tutoring to two pre-IB underclassmen at the Brick-by-Brick IB Membership program. He co-founded an SAT Boot Camp to help prepare students for that critical exam. In the Interact Club, Tomasky led maintenance and expansion of the school’s garden and volunteered at weekly youth football games. Even an honor such as his induction into the National Honor Society was broadened to benefit others as Tomasky tutored high school and middle school students and supported charities.
“I firmly believe the best attributes are those that promote mutualism and cooperation. One can only go so far alone, so it is best to find success within a community,” Tomasky wrote in his Farmer Scholar application materials. “Thus, the virtues I demonstrate serve others, for which I receive reciprocated support. I build community through my dedication, adaptability, and compassion.”
His AP/IB biology teacher, Chris Auricchio, put it this way in his letter of recommendation: “This blend of passion, humility, intelligence and a respect for the needs of others, is often a great predictor of success and Carter checks all the boxes.”
IB Counselor Carrie Wilson said in her letter that Tomasky “is an exceptional student who possesses a rare combination of academic prowess, leadership skills, and a deep commitment to community service.”
About 40 miles southwest of Brooksville is New Port Richey, home to some of the state’s most scenic wildlife areas and one Alina Marie Janshon. A graduate of J.W. Mitchell High School, where like Tomasky she was busy inside and outside of the classroom, Janshon plans to major in applied mathematics – though not before she carefully considered botany or music performance.
“I settled on applied mathematics because I love math, and data analytics has always been something I have been interested in,” she wrote in an email when asked why she wanted to major in that field. “Ultimately, I’m looking to work in research or data analytics. I don’t quite have a specific career in mind as of yet, but I am planning to find research projects and internships I can participate in to help flesh out what I want to do.”
During her stellar high school career, Janshon found time to excel in the classroom and pretty much everywhere else. Her GPA was 4.55 and she scored 1500 on the SAT, good for the top 4% of her class.
She considered music as a possible vocation because she is a talented bassoon player and musician, performing in her school’s wind ensemble, jazz ensemble and symphony orchestra as well as marching band. She’s played principal bassoon in the Richey Community Orchestra, as well.
“I strive for excellence as it relates to successes whether academically or in marching
band, concert band, and ensemble collaborations,” Janshon wrote in her Farmer Scholar application materials.” I push myself academically, musically and personally while balancing my social activities.”
Beyond the music, Janshon was a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National Society of High School Scholars, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Youthbeats Creative Writing Club – she is an accomplished writer of prose and poetry – and Robotics Club. She has earned nearly 300 community service hours off campus, including during the COVID summer of 2020 when she traveled for three hour each way to volunteer at a horse rescue organization.
“There will be hundreds of students applying for your institution, but I am confident that none are as well rounded as Alina Janshon,” Josh Hobbs, Janshon’s band director for three years and AP Music Theory teacher, wrote in his letter of recommendation.
“Her dedication to all that she sets out to do is exemplary and one of the most notable I have seen in my career,” chemistry honors teacher Keith Schott said in his letter.
Janshon joins her older brother Titus at Florida Tech. A junior double majoring in aerospace engineering and chemistry, he was a finalist for the Farmer Scholars program in 2022.
