Eckerd College President James Annarelli lauded the success of the inaugural Sunshine City Scholars, Daeveon Davis and Mikahil Whyte, before their graduation.
Smiles spread everywhere as Daeveon Davis and Mikhail Whyte embraced the deluge of warm hugs inside Eckerd College’s Fox Hall.
The luncheon to honor the College’s first two incredibly accomplished Sunshine City Scholars on May 15 was also a celebration of another amazing achievement—both young men would be graduating debt-free.
“This scholarship is hope and opportunity,” said Daeveon, a literature and creative writing graduate from St. Petersburg, Florida. “Hope that was given to me that one day I can make something of myself. Opportunity to grow past everything that I thought I knew. To be able to receive that hope and opportunity has meant more to me than I can describe in words. I’m sure I speak for my fellow recipients when I say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”
The program began four years ago when business partners George Off, an Eckerd trustee, and Mike O’Brien (P ’06), decided to make a gift toward opening access to the College to students from the region. That gift created Eckerd’s first gap scholarship, which in combination with institutional, state and federal aid, finances a liberal arts education for students from St. Petersburg.
Mikhail Whyte speaks at a ceremony celebrating the graduation of the inaugural Sunshine City Scholars.
“George and Mike, who founded Catalina Marketing together, wanted to close the gap between estimated need and the true cost of attaining a four-year liberal arts degree—a gap that, for many students with financial need, can feel insurmountable,” said Eckerd College President Jim Annarelli. “Their initial commitment of $220,000 created what is today known as the Sunshine City Scholarship—a scholarship that covers the full cost of tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board. This opportunity brought our first Sunshine City Scholars, Daeveon Davis and Mikhail Whyte, to Eckerd in the fall of 2022.”
O’Brien later endowed the scholarship with a $1 million challenge gift, which the College has matched with $1.1 million in fundraising.
The outcomes speak for themselves.
Fate via email
Mikhail ignored the emails from Eckerd until his high school counselor, Tiffany Blessing at Shorecrest Preparatory Academy, alerted him that he had qualified for the Sunshine City Scholarship.
The funding, combined with the feeling he got from the campus community, was enough to persuade him to leave his basketball, football, and track and field athlete identities at the door and embrace the possibilities the liberal arts set before him. With a passion for history and a family interested in him pursuing finance, Mikhail settled on economics with a minor in religious studies. He built a strong relationship with his mentor, Professor of Economics Diana Fuguitt, Ph.D., and made an even stronger bond with O’Brien’s son-in-law, Bennett Andrews, who became his career mentor through the scholarship program.
Eckerd Trustee George Off addresses the audience at the celebration of the inaugural Sunshine City Scholarship recipients prior to their graduation.
“Bennett and business partner John Gardepe, along with his wonderful family, welcomed me with a hospitality that I had no right to expect and will absolutely never forget,” Mikhail recalled.
“Working alongside him didn’t just teach me about real estate and business—it completely rewired how I understand leadership itself. He showed me what it looks like to build with integrity and to invest in people before you invest in deals. He changed the financial trajectory of my life, and through that, changed how I lead and inspire others around me.”
Andrews helped Mikhail receive his real estate license in the summer between his first and sophomore years. As he worked for Andrews, Mikhail also took on leadership roles in the College’s First Gen Club and Delta Sigma Pi Co-Ed Business Fraternity. After graduation, he’ll remain in St. Petersburg working for a finance company.
Sunshine City Scholars Daeveon Davis and Mikhail Whyte were recognized at a luncheon prior to their graduation from Eckerd College.
Dream advanced
Daeveon’s dream of being a writer had to be tempered with the pragmatism of needing to work to contribute to his aunt and uncle’s household. The Sunshine City Scholarship gave him an avenue to pursue a long held passion while also getting the College experience he’d only ever read about. He moved onto the campus just miles south of the Disston Heights neighborhood and watched his world open up to experiences and cultures he’d never seen. He joined the men’s rugby team and made lifelong friends while competing. He expanded his interests from writing to critical reading and took on a second major in literature.
Then, after three years of working in Eckerd College Admissions, giving tours and managing ambassadors, Daeveon seized the chance to spend a semester in London with Professor of Literature Jared Stark.
“As a kid, I didn’t get to travel much. No family vacations, no school trips, nothing. It wasn’t until junior year here at Eckerd that I had the opportunity to study abroad in London,” he explained. “My time there can’t be described as anything other than breathtaking. Traveling out of the country for the first time and observing a completely new culture has ultimately shaped how I see the world now.”
Daeveon has already secured a job with American Power and Gas following graduation, and he plans to attend graduate school to become an educator in the future.
Both young men’s trajectories changed completely because a College in their community invested in their future.
“There is something Eckerd does almost quietly, without you noticing: it expands you,” Mikail said. “Spiritually, intellectually, physically. You arrive as one person, and leave as someone larger.”
