Vero Beach, FL (March 2, 2021) …It is with great pride that we announce that Paul Morris was awarded the Gigi Casapu Scholarship. Morris was presented with this honor at the recent finals for the King of Hill 2021 Youth Guidance Tennis Tournament at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach.
Each year during the King of the Hill Tennis Tournament, Gigi Casapu awards a Youth Guidance student with a scholarship. Gigi has been the Organizer and Tournament Director of the King of the Hill for the past 26 years and is a dedicated supporter of Youth Guidance.
Morris is an honor student at Vero Beach High School with a 4.0 weighted grade point average. He is dual enrolled at Indian River State College. Besides being an excellent student, Morris is deeply passionate about serving his community. As an Eagle Scout, Paul led the kayak rack reconstruction at the Vero Beach City Marina. He also volunteered at the food bank, The Arc of Indian River County, and the Environmental Learning Center.
Morris is an active cyclist and is passionate about bike safety. He has been advocating for a pedestrian signal to allow citizens of Indian River County to cross safely on their way to school or work. He also runs on the varsity cross country team at Vero Beach High School.
At Youth Guidance, Morris was one of the first students to graduate from the Bicycle Repair program in partnership with Bike Walk Indian River County. The volunteers at Bike Walk taught him an incredible amount about bike maintenance and safety. Morris is now passing this knowledge on to other students in the Bike Repair program at Youth Guidance.
Morris hopes to attend college to become a physical therapist with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He became a physical therapy patient for the first-time last summer when he suffered an injury. This was a life-changing experience. Paul was fascinated by the techniques and science behind physical therapy. The recovery process allowed him to continue participating in the activities he loves, including cycling and cross country.
“I am thrilled to receive this scholarship from Gigi Casapu, it will help reduce my financial burden and stress while attending college,” said Paul. “It will enable me to focus on becoming the best physical therapist, community leader, and person that I can be.”
“Paul is a perfect example of how Youth Guidance has been able to achieve our mission of enriching the lives of Indian River County youth through mentoring relationships that inspire trust, self-esteem, and positive futures,” said Phil Barnes, Executive Director. “We look forward to assisting many other students, like Paul in reaching their dreams and a brighter future.”
If you are interested in learning more about Youth Guidance, please call 772.492.3933, or visit our website at www.youthguidanceprogram.org.