St. John Paul II student surprised with $40K scholarship & Amazon internship

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A senior at St. John Paul II Catholic High School was surprised with a $40,000 scholarship and an internship at Amazon as part of the company’s Future Engineer program.

Jhonathan Herrera’s dedication to academics and service in the community led to him earning the scholarship and paid internship. Amazon says Herrera is one of 250 students in the US to receive the award.

Following his freshman year, Herrera will gain hands-on, practical work experience during his internship under the mentorship of Amazon leaders.

“The Amazon Future Engineer program has awarded $22 million in scholarships to 550 students from underserved and historically underrepresented communities across the U.S. since 2019,” the press release says.

Specifically, the scholarship will award Herrera $40,000 over four years to pursue a degree in Computer Science. Herrera plans to attend the University of Florida under its Promise Program, which is geared toward high achieving, first-generation college students. He will also study Japanese while at UF.

Amazon says scholarship winners were selected based on academic achievement, leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals and financial need.

The press release says the JPII community is incredibly proud of Herrera. His teachers say he’s a rockstar student not only because of his determination and work ethic, but also his sense of humor.

Last year, Herrera earned JPII’s inaugural Servant’s Heart Award, which recognized his contributions to Tallahassee’s Teen Court organization.

The press release says Herrera has a personal motto he lives by: “Soy un vencedor.” That translates to “I am a winner” in English, and this scholarship and paid internship are huge victories he’ll put under his belt.

The Amazon Future Engineer program helps students learn more about the computer science field through project-based learning and school curriculum. Students in the program use code to solve problems, make music and program robots. The program also offers professional development opportunities for teachers.