LAKELAND, Fla. (June 29, 2005) — Harrison Arts Center honors graduate Jessica La’Ren McCarty has been named the 2005 Hazel Haley Scholar. McCarty will receive a $2,500 scholarship each year for four years toward her education at Florida Southern College. She plans to major in English.

McCarty, an accomplished writer and poet, received the High Honors with Distinction award and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Harrison Arts Council. She is active in tennis and theatre, studies yoga, pilates and ballet, and volunteers at the YMCA and Explorations V. She is the daughter of Donna J. Renfroe, a 1980 Florida Southern graduate, and Decoven McCarty, both of Lakeland, Fla.

The Hazel Haley Scholarship Fund honors the beloved English teacher, a 1937 graduate of Florida Southern and the longest-serving teacher in Florida.

About Florida Southern College

Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.