"Our members have a long history of sharing their success with the community at large," Elsea said. "We are committed to fostering and encouraging excellence and achievement in education." Since 1932, the club has focused on providing financial support to talented students in Central Florida. Through member contributions and annual fundraising golf tournaments, the club has contributed more than $1 million in scholarships to Orlando-area colleges and universities.

"The Foundation's goal is to give students in our community the power to open doors of opportunity that lead them down many paths of success in hopes that they will prosper and grow. The scholarships are small tokens of our appreciation to give back to a community that has given us so much," stated Gavin Watson, former president of the University Club of Orlando Foundation.

An endowed scholarship is a lasting way to change the lives of students. "After years of hard work, I finally caught a big break and I am so grateful," said Adam Straka, finance major from Longwood, Florida and summer intern at Lockheed Martin. "It was a huge relief to my family, as
it will definitely allow me to finish college and start me on the path to graduate school."

Adam's future looks bright. "I plan on going to UCF for my MBA after I graduate and become an entrepreneur or go into financial planning," said Adam. "I also plan on giving back to the community that gave me such amazing support. I cannot thank the University Club of Orlando enough."

Michelle Messina, a junior from Winter Park, Florida is a Burnett Honors College student hoping to go to law school when she graduates. While she is at UCF, Michelle is making the most of it serving on the President's Leadership Council, the Student Government Association and with the Office of Student Involvement on the Homecoming Executive Board, to name just a few of her many volunteer projects.

"I love being involved on campus, and the scholarship allowed me to really expand my involvement," Michelle said. "It also helped take away some of the worry in my life...last semester I took six classes with each class needing at least one book. This scholarship made it possible to purchase everything I needed."

The generosity and vision of decades of University Club of Orlando members has created opportunities for talented students like Adam and Michelle to succeed and contribute to their communities.