Melbourne Central Catholic Travel Club

Greetings!
As an active community member, Im sure you are interested in ways to improve the lives and educations of our
young people. I feel exactly the same way. It is for that reason that I have decided to lead a group of students from Melbourne Central Catholic High School on an educational tour to The Global Student Leader Summit in Switzerland in July of
2015. The experiences they will have while traveling will serve as life-long lessons and will undoubtedly advance their perspective of themselves and their place in the world.
Educational travel is a key component to our new-globally focused curriculum. The opportunity to witness new cultures first hand and experience history, typically only learned in a textbook, is one that only enhances a students enthusiasm
for learning. Students will be taking part in a summit focused in Innovation and the future of education. They will have the
chance to work with students from around the world to learn how to solve problems together in education and innovation.
We will also have the chance to visit several science and technology oriented locations such as The Eden Project in England
and The European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva.
I have chosen to partner with EF Educational Tours for our tour abroad EF has nearly 50 years of experience in
student travel and offers our students the guaranteed lowest price, in an effort to provide as much financial assistance for
the students as possible, this letter goes out to you to ask for your support.
Our collective goal is to raise $30, 000 for the students. We greatly appreciate any donation you are willing to contribute. Every $25, $50, or $100 adds up! Our group will be working all year to raise funds for the tour and we think you for
your support.
We really appreciate your assistance and thank you in advance for your help. If you have any questions about the
tour, our fundraising goals, or the benefits of educational travel, please feel free to contact me via email at
ScottS@melbournecc.org.

Sincerely,
Savannah Scott (Faculty Advisor)

Melbourne Central Catholic High School

100 E. Florida Ave.
Melbourne, FL 32901
(321) 727-0793

Student Biographies
Davis Gaviria
My name is David Gaviria, and I am a senior at Melbourne Central Catholic High School in Melbourne, Florida. I have attended MCC for four years and will graduate with an Honors Diploma, having
taken one class each semester at Florida Institute of Technology. In addition to academics, I have played
soccer since Freshman year, ran cross country since Sophomore year, and will have logged almost 250
community service hours by graduation. Following my high school career, I plan to pursue pre-medicine
and obtain a Doctorate in Internal Medicine.
The first science class I took at MCC was freshman Honors Biology, and it immediately sparked my
interest for two reasons. The subject was the most challenging one I had taken until that point, and it instilled within me a
fascination for the way the body operates. From that moment on, I believed that I had found the career field that best suited me. After receiving the Certificate of Academic Excellence in the subject, I set my sights on sophomore Honors Chemistry that only added to my curiosity on the subject. I found myself tutoring my fellow classmates in the class, which came
naturally to me. It proved not to be the experiments and reactions that fascinated me, but the science behind those aspects of chemistry. I enjoyed balancing equations so much that my junior year I found myself in Advanced Placement
Chemistry along with Honors Anatomy and Physiology and Honors Forensic Science. If I could go back in time and relive
any year in high school, it would be that year. I was immersed in the world of science for more than a third of my day, and I
enjoyed every moment of it. As senior course selection came, I found that I lacked my physics graduation requirement,
and, as a result, I am currently taking Advanced Placement Physics 1. This subject has proved to be the most challenging
one I have ever taken, and despite temptations as my classmates drop the class from their schedule, I have continued to
strive to excel in the course.
Following my graduation from Melbourne Central Catholic, I will pursue a Doctorate in Internal Medicine from the
University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. I hope to work for a company such as Health First that serves a wide range of
patients with various medical issues. By attending the EF Tour in England and Switzerland, I will be able to further expand
upon my interest in the field of science as well as develop skills such as critical thinking and team collaboration that I will be
able to utilize in both college and my future career.

Gaetano Saltalamacchia
My name is Gaetano Saltalamacchia and I attend Melbourne Central Catholic High School. I currently am enrolled in 3 Advanced Placement class and dual-enrolled in an FIT class, along with participating in football, soccer, and tennis. I plan to attend Florida Polytechnic University and major in Computer Science (specifically Cyber Gaming) and become a videogame designer.
A career in videogames, or any Computer Science profession, involves constant teamwork to
achieve the final goal/product. This trip to the Global Student Leader Summit will not only advance my
knowledge and experience in the STEM fields (all essential in a Computer Science career) but also allow
me to interact with the type of people I will meet in the workplace, and be able to team up with them and accomplish our
project smoothly, professionally, and amiably.
By you supporting my trip to Switzerland, you are allowing me to experience the entirety of the EF Tour and all
that encompasses, while also allowing me to participate in the Global Student Leader Summit and submit to colleges that I
participated in this Tour, a prestigious event that colleges look highly upon. Your generosity and gratitude are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Laura Kollar
My name is Laura Kollar and I am in 10th grade at Melbourne Central Catholic High School. In my
free time, I enjoy swimming, crafting, painting, and reading. One of my favorite things to do is watch documentaries and videos, as well as read articles and books about science, especially cosmology. For a career,
I would definitely like to go into the field of science, preferably cosmological research. This trip would be
beneficial to me for my future. I think it is important to have people of my generation interested in the
sciences, so we can have many young adults enthusiastic about continuing scientific advances for the next
generation. I am incredibly interested in science, and I could go as far as to say I am passionate about it. I
have always wanted to visit Europe and all the places included in the trip, and I could think of no better opportunity for me
to gain experience and understanding.

Claire Nemethy
My name is Claire Marie Nemethy and I am currently a sophomore at Melbourne Central Catholic High School. I have been presented with the opportunity to travel to Europe this summer with five
other students and a teacher to deepen my educational experience. The EF educational tour highlights
educational innovation in action, allowing me to expand on what I have learned from textbooks.
I am a 10th grade student and I work very hard at my keeping up with my grades and athletics. I
currently have a 4.3 GPA and am taking STEM enriched classes such as Honors Chemistry, Honors Algebra
2, Honors English, Honors World History, Honors Spanish 3, and AP Psychology. Since I attend a Catholic
school, I am also studying religion and I have a special interest in art and drawing. My classes are demanding and I spend several hours studying and doing the best that I can to learn the most possible during my high school
career. I also enjoy playing sports and feel that one must have physical activity in their day. I am currently on the Varsity
Basketball team and participated in JV Volleyball, beach volleyball, and Varsity Lacrosse. I believe in supporting my school
and am a member of Student Council and support various student run events. I had over one hundred hours in community
service last year. My most challenging volunteer event so far was a medical mission trip to Nicaragua where I spent my
spring break assisting a medical and dental team in the second poorest nation in the world. I was the intake person, taking
histories, and also worked in the pharmacy where I actually used my Spanish skills. I was trained to assist doctors with simple procedures. Most importantly, I developed an understanding for the poor and how others in different parts of the
world live.
I am not sure exactly what I want to do in the future, but I wish to explore as many avenues as possible. I definitely
know I want to be a leader and make a difference in the world. I believe that the opportunity to participate in the Science
and Innovation tour this summer will give me the building blocks outside the classroom that I will need to succeed. Our
world is much smaller with the invention of the World Wide Web and technology is rapidly changing. We need problem
solvers to work together to solve some of the problems seen today and in the future. My goal for the summer is to have a
global experience and meet new people and explore what is evolving in the educational, and science arena.

Gary Turner
Hi my name is Gary Turner and I am a sophomore at Melbourne Central Catholic High School. I
am from Melbourne and I have lived here my whole life. My passions are math and science and I intend
to use these to advance in the field I am looking to go into. I plan to go into the field of architectural or
chemical engineering, using my passions to make a career. These careers both need strength in science,
technology, and especially math, as well as writing and leadership skills. These skills are all encouraged by
the STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I will be taking a trip next summer
(2015) that will enhance my skills to prepare me for adult life in the science community. It is a 12 day trip
to London, Plymouth, Zurich, Davos, and Geneva. In England, we will visit the Science Museum, a London school, Stonehenge, the Eden Project, and take a tour of London. Then we will travel to Zurich to transfer into Switzerland. In Davos, we
will have the Student Leadership Conference (an international student convention about leadership, helping us to interact
with international future leaders). Then in Geneva, we will visit the United Nations Office and CERN (European Organization
for Nuclear Research). This trip will benefit me along with our travel group in providing us with important opportunities to
interact with leaders and future leaders, along with the leading edge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in our
world today. I, in turn, will benefit our wonderful community with this knowledge. This trip is very expensive, considering it
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I will need every bit of extra help in footing the bill. So I would like to ask you to
donate to my trip. Thank you very much in advance for investing in our citys and our nations future.

Nick Witherspoon
Nick Witherspoon is currently a sophomore at MCC. He has enjoyed a focus on Health and Physical Science. Nick is involved in sports at MCC, including swim, golf, and soccer. He also participates in the
Ultimate Frisbee Club and the Anglers Club. Nick is a Boy Scout, currently working on earning his Eagle
Scout rank, the most prestige ranking in scouting. He has the opportunity to visit many places with Scouts
including Scotland, Puerto Rico, Maine, the FL Keys, and North Carolina. Nick plans on an academic career
that includes college; although at this time what college is undetermined. He plans on majoring in Health
Science. His career goal is to become a personal trainer and nutritionist in the area of sports medicine. In
his free time, Nick enjoys fishing, golfing, biking, and going to the beach.