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Jalia Charlery (left) with her mentor, Sarah Miller
AVON PARK, Fla. — Feb. 19, 2025 — Jalia Charlery, a senior attending Sebring High School, was surprised at the high school when teachers, the principal, family, and her Take Stock in Children mentor broke the news that she had been named a finalist for the Take Stock in Children Leaders for Life fellowship. She was one of 12 finalists vying for six Leaders for Life fellowships.
The fellowship, which recognizes student leaders, comes with a $40,000 scholarship that covers non-tuition expenses such as housing, books, and transportation. As a Leaders for Life finalist, Charlery received a MacBook Pro laptop computer.
The Leaders for Life Scholarship is an initiative of the Asofsky Family Foundation, which supports programs aimed at helping the state’s youth. The Foundation awards the scholarship in partnership with Take Stock in Children. The South Florida State College (SFSC) Foundation is the lead agency for Take Stock within the College’s service district of DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties.
“I cannot think of a student more deserving of this opportunity,” said Ben Carter, the local Take Stock in Children student services coordinator. “Upon reading the two essays Jalia submitted toward the fellowship, we could see that they were at a collegiate level. And her personality and presentation skills are excellent. We at Take Stock are so proud and excited to have Jalia representing us in the community and at this stage in the Leaders for Life process.”
Charlery is eligible for the Leaders for Life Fellowship because of her participation in Take Stock in Children. Take Stock in Children is a statewide program that provides at-risk children with a mentor and a college scholarship. In return, Take Stock scholars sign contracts in which they promise to remain drug-free, to avoid behavior that would get them into trouble with law enforcement, to attend school regularly, and to earn satisfactory grades. The students’ parents also sign the contracts and agree to provide home environments conducive to education. The local Take Stock program was established in 1996 and has awarded Florida Prepaid college scholarships to more than 667 local students.
Charlery graduates from Sebring High School in May 2025. While in high school, she has been a dually enrolled student at SFSC. She is a member of the National Honors Society, Sebring High School’s Girls Varsity Tennis team, and the Superintendent Student Council. She is secretary of the Sebring Chamber of Commerce Junior Ambassadors, president of the Sebring High School Student Government Association, and participates in the Sebring High School Varsity Choir.
Charlery’s Take Stock mentor for the last five years has been Sarah Miller, who was her 8th grade science and AVID teacher at Sebring Middle School, as well as her National Junior Honor Society sponsor. According to Charlery, Miller “never fails to support me in my many endeavors, whether that is giving me advice for my many rigorous classes or showing up as a fan on the sideline. She has truly taught me the meaning of overcoming obstacles that many would be considered ‘life-defining.’”
Since the inception of the Leaders for Life program, the local Take Stock program has had 13 finalists.
