Florida Tech Honors Thompson As Scholarship Recipient
By Space Coast Daily // April 28, 2012
Distinguished Accomplishment
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – An Astronaut High School senior has been chosen as the recipient of the 2012 Farmer Scholarship for the Florida Institute of Techology.
Brayden Thompson, the son of Jim and Cindy Thompson of Mims, is dual-enrolled at Brevard Community College and Astronaut and will graduate next month.
He maintains a 4.5 grade point average with a workload that has included honors English, honors chemistry, advanced calculus, advanced physics, honors American history and German.
Activities
Throughout high school, Thompson also has participated in an abundance of extracurricular activities, including the Student Government Association, the Buddies Club and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Mid-Florida Conference.
He is the current president of the National Honor Society at his school and past treasurer of that group.
In athletics, he won varsity letters in swimming and diving and in track and field and played freshman football.
Thompson also works part-time as a property account coordinator at Fortress Management Group in Mims.
Key moment
After hearing Florida Tech professor and head of the Chemical Engineering Department Dr. Manolis Tomadakis give an introductory chemistry lecture, Thompson wanted to attend college at Florida Tech.
“Dr.Tomadakis’s lecture gave a first-person glimpse into what chemical engineers do and what their careers entail,” Thompson said. “His lecture also provided a view into how the Florida Tech Chemical Engineering Department places emphasis on the undergraduates, giving them as much access to facilities and interaction with professor as do the graduate students.
“After my visit to Florida Tech, I knew that Florida Tech would provide me with the research and work experience needed for me to determine my specific career path in chemical engineering,” he said.
The Farmer Scholarship program provides a full four-year scholarship and is awarded annually to a Florida resident and high school graduate.
Inclusive elements
Included in the scholarship are all tuition and university fees, a room in Harris Village’s Farmer Hall and the regular university meal plan.
There are now four Farmer Scholars currently in residence at Florida Tech.
The Farmer Scholar program also gives a stipend to recipients between the junior and senior years for enrichment through Florida Tech’s summer study abroad program at Oxford University.
Phillip W. Farmer, retired chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation, has donated in excess of $1.5 million to establish this endowed scholarship and the Farmer Scholars program was launched in 2009.
“Mr. Farmer’s generosity is making it possible to bring the best and brightest students to Florida Tech,” said Florida tech president Dr. Anthony J. Catanese. “He’s helping us to compete with the nation’s top universities for some great additions to our student body.”
