The Bevan and Page Hill Scholarships are awarded annually to returning Eckerd College students.
Eckerd College recently announced the winners of two prestigious internal scholarships designed to recognize students who have demonstrated both high academic achievement and community involvement.
Zoey Lorusso, an honors student from Sisters, Oregon, who is majoring in biochemistry, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Jack Bevan Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is named in memory of John M. “Jack” Bevan, Ph.D., the founding dean of faculty at Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College), whose energy, warmth and generosity inspired the best in students and faculty. The Bevan Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding junior with an excellent academic record and a record of campus service as a leader, a catalyst for positive change and a source of support to other students.
“Zoey’s impact on the Eckerd community has been substantial,” explains Marjorie Sanfilippo, Ph.D., vice president for student success at Eckerd and a member of the scholarship committee. “As a co-president of the Women in STEM Club, Zoey has not only coordinated events and served as an excellent role model for other students, but she has also connected STEM majors with professionals outside of Eckerd.
Zoey Larusso ’27
“In her role as president of EC-Engage,” Sanfilippo adds, “she strengthens relationships with local alumni to keep them engaged with Eckerd. Zoey also represents what is special about Eckerd students through her volunteer work as a food distributor with Feed St. Pete/Re-Imagine St. Pete. She communicates and coordinates with other volunteers to ensure community members receive the food resources they need.”
The Bevan Scholarship provides $2,500 per year over the two years of the award.
Zoey also is vice president of Eckerd’s Student Affiliates Chapter of the American Chemical Society, and she spent last summer in Boston serving an Eckerd-sponsored internship at the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
“It’s a huge honor just to know that the things you do at Eckerd are seen and appreciated,” she says. “The support system is there. The College wants you to succeed, and they want to recognize what you’re doing. Eckerd has given me so much to be grateful for.”
Zoey, who plans to attend either medical or dental school after graduating, adds that her scholarship funds “will allow me to be involved in the community even more. Eckerd wants you to engage with the community, and all you have to do is engage back. That’s crucial for students, because it really does foster your passion for involvement. It just grows.”
The College also announced that Melissa Castro-Arellano, a junior psychology and human development student from Bradenton, Florida, has been named the recipient of The Page Hill Foundation Scholarship for 2025–2026. This scholarship, established by Brittany Poulo ’21 and her mother, Lynn Devereux, honors a student who has demonstrated a record of civic participation and dedication to civic education, furthering justice and equity in our society, or community development.
“Well-deserving of this reward,” Sanfilippo says, “Melissa has a strong track record of civic engagement both on campus and in the surrounding community. At Eckerd, she is president of the Active Minds at Eckerd College club; she leads initiatives that advance equitable wellness, partnering with ECOS, campus organizations, and faculty to organize public health awareness events. She also works to expand access to menstrual products and contraceptives, revitalized the Bloody Change initiative, and hosted an Endometriosis Awareness event. She is also developing future programs focused on conditions such as PCOS and PMS.
“Off campus, Melissa mentors middle and high school students through the Hispanic Council in Tampa, guiding them through the college application process and building opportunities for Eckerd students to get involved. She also serves as a research assistant in Eckerd’s Health and Well-Being Lab,” Sanfilippo adds.
“Deeply committed to civic education and justice, Melissa works to foster a fair, welcoming and socially aware campus environment. She facilitates early conversations with students about public health and social disparities and works to connect Eckerd students with St. Petersburg’s Spanish-speaking community through service learning. As a leader in Latinos Unidos [a student club] on campus, she is collaborating on organizing a fundraiser to support legal-aid services.”
The Page Hill Scholarship offers students of sophomore status or higher a $5,000 award for the academic year.
“The recognition gives you more financial security, but it’s also a nod to keep going,” Melissa explains. “It helps me feel like I’m doing something good for the community, and that that’s being recognized. And participating makes me feel like a better student, like I’m getting more of a complete education.”
Melissa plans to invite more speakers from local health agencies to campus and then to continue her work in graduate school, where she’ll conduct research in psychology and public health. “There are a lot of issues around wellness and well-being that don’t get talked about a lot,” she says. “I want to know why people think this way and how we can get them to change.”
