Venice High School STRIVE Recipients

Makenna Spina | Makenna’s parents immigrated to the United States from Canada with the desire to provide a good life for their family. They impressed on Makenna and her siblings that if you want to succeed, you must demonstrate commitment, dedication, and a willingness and desire to learn. Makenna took the advice to heart, according to a teacher who witnessed Makenna’s “180 turnaround” from freshman to senior year. She already was a strong student in math and science but greatly improved her overall academic performance by developing organizational skills and appropriate self-advocacy. She grew into a responsible student leader, always willing to help others and share with her team. Makenna learned to define obtainable goals and set the stage to succeed in the next phase of her education by earning a 3.63 GPA. Makenna’s intention to pursue a career in medicine and specialize in neurology was inspired by the health challenges of several family members. She has taken early steps in that direction by participating in the high school medical program in her freshman through senior years and by taking dual enrollment classes in the EMT/Fire program at Suncoast Technical College.