As the 2017-18 school year comes to a close, the Trentini scholarship recipient has been nominated.

The Trentini scholarship is an award that consists of a grand $30,000 prize for the overall winner, as well as a $1000 reward to the remaining nominations.

This scholarship also extends to Heritage high school, offering a $5000 overall prize, as well as $250 rewards for the remaining nominations.

The nominations this year included Ally Cefalu, Hannah Dion, Jonathon Hughes, Nicholas Kelly and Erica Spruill.
While each of these students worked harder than the average student, only one is allowed to bring home the grand prize.

This year, it was senior Isaac Lanzon.

“The moment I heard my name called as the recipient of the Trentini Scholarship for Wake Forest High School, I was filled with shock, joy and honor. This award not only validates my hard work and achievements, but more importantly serves as a challenge for me to dig deeper, reach further, and do more,” Lanzon said.

In order to receive this award, there are a number of steps one must take.

“In order to receive the scholarship I had to fill out an application, get interviewed by a panel in order to receive my nomination as a finalist, then complete an interview with a panel containing members of the Trentini Foundation. The announcement of the final winner was at the Trentini Scholarship banquet,” Lanzon said.

Lanzon participated in cross country and track all four years, while maintaining a 5.18 GPA.
Anyone who has made it through the years of high school understands how hard it can be to balance all the demands on students.
Maintaining a GPA such as his, while also participating in outside of school activities, is a big part of the reason why Lanzon was able to receive the top nomination.

“In order to maintain this GPA, I had to carefully balance my schoolwork and extracurricular volunteering with the BSA, in addition to participating on the Track and Cross Country Teams at our school. I had to sacrifice opportunities hanging out with friends in order to study for tests and quizzes.” Lanzon said.

However, Lanzon knows that without the help of his teachers and family, he would not have been able to do it.

“My parents definitely helped me most along this entire process. My mother and father instilled in me a set of morals and personal discipline that I use in everything. They taught me to always give the maximum amount of effort I can to anything I do,” Lanzon said.
With the help of this scholarship, Lanzon believes that his years in college will be a little less stressful.

Many students strive for the scholarship, but Lanzon believes it was his focus that really separated him from the group.

“I admire each of these people for the individual achievements that they have achieved, and cannot definitively comment on why the scholarship board chose me in particular. In speculation, I would say that my dedication to the Scouting program and acquiring of my Eagle Scout (with my project being a record board inside Trentini Stadium), in conjunction to my balance of academics, sports, and service, could have led to the Trentini board’s decision,” Lanzon said.

Lanzon admits that it has been a long four years, but he also believes that they are valuable and will help him through the rest of his school career.

After high school, Lanzon plans to continue his education close to home.

“After graduation I will be attending UNC Chapel-Hill as a peace, war and defense major, intending to go to law school. I chose Chapel Hill because I believe it is the best way to challenge myself both academically and socially,” Lanzon said.

For anyone who wishes to receive this award in the future, Lanzon believes that monitoring stress is at the center of it all.

“Some advice that I would give to anyone seeking any scholarship is to be genuine. Don’t try to act like somebody that you aren’t in your scholarship interviews.

For the Trentini scholarship in particular, find a balance between everything you do and maintain that balance. High school can be a stressful time, but by setting boundaries and rules, you can offset some of that stress.” Lanzon said.

Looking back, Lanzon has no regrets.

“Personally I don’t believe in regretting my past decisions. I believe in accepting them and looking toward the future; therefore, I wouldn’t change a thing about my time in High School.”