Fall 2025 Winner of the Bright Futures Scholarship

Abigail Fiske

There is no doubt about Abigail’s commitment to service. Her passion for helping others drives her outstanding leadership efforts. She is eager to continue her service efforts throughout college and her career. Congratulations, Abigail, we admire your dedication and work ethic!

Read Their Essay Here:

I want to thank you for the opportunity of attending your college for nursing. Going to college for nursing has been my dream for several years now. I would appreciate the opportunity to share my journey and stories with you. I am going into my senior year at West Nassau High School. This year I will be attending classes to be a Certified Nursing Assistant before I graduate in May. I will also be completing my second year with the VyStar Student Internship Program which has been an amazing opportunity this past year.

Growing up in a military family has shown me diversity, dedication and great work ethic. I have been employed since I was 14 between childcare, animal care, food service boat and with VyStar Credit Union. I have over 1,300 community service hours and I believe that going to college to become a nurse will provide me with the chance to continue the tradition of helping those in need and allows me to provide more to my community. Being able to provide medical knowledge in the future and using that knowledge to volunteer in the community will allow me to improve the well-being of others. Since being in high school and prior I have joined multiple clubs, all of which are dedicated to community service and leadership. My favorite volunteer work was with Great Shape 1,000 Smiles Dental Mission Trip. 

I have joined and been an active member of Key Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Beta Club, National Honor Society, American Sign Language Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars, Women of Influence, Tri-M, Student Council, Chick Fil A Club, Marching Band, Color and Winter Guard, VyStar Internship, Bowling Team, Dance Student and Teacher and University of US. I am very involved in these clubs as they all intertwine with each other in our small community. I have placed first in my division at two FBLA district competitions, followed by attending state both years. I completed my first year as an Ambassador for University of US and was awarded the Ambassador Leadership Award. I recently accepted the role of Vice President in Key Club. I have been volunteering at the local dance studio as an assistant and student teacher with Callahan Dance Academy since 2018. I have been a dancer in Tap, Jazz, Clogging, Ballet and Hip Hop since 2011. I also was a forward, midfield and defensive player for local, club, school and travel soccer teams from 2011-2022.

One of my most memorable volunteer services included a dental mission trip with Great Shape 1,000 smiles. I met hundreds of people across the world that came to provide dental care for thousands of patients. Some patients were local to the area and others were refugees from Haiti. For many care is either unavailable or it is too expensive to receive any medical or dental care without paying a lot of out of pocket money. I personally assisted with glucose readings, blood pressure readings and triage to determine if it was safe to treat the patient and what type of care they needed. I also assisted with instructions for post operative and oral hygiene, OTC medications and also had the opportunity to be a chair-side dental assistant. Many of these patients did not speak any or much English, it was exciting to find a way to connect with these patients and learn their language to communicate and comfort them. Many patients had never had their blood pressure or glucose tested before and we were able to direct them to other mission services to assist with medical needs.

I have worked extremely hard to excel at academics. I have been in advanced/honors classes over the last several years and have always carried a high GPA in these classes. I took my first AP class my freshman year, which definitely took time and attention to detail. I took a dual enrollment college readiness class early into high school and now excelling in another AP class. I completed several years of Spanish at a younger age and elected to take 2 years of ASL online as my language during high school. When it comes to my leadership and character  many teachers, peers, and mentors can tell you, my character and leadership stand out in everything I do. I love the impact I am creating by teaching and helping improve others’ lives and I want to continue this when attending this university.