Sinfonia Gulf Coast is pleased to announce that Orion Quinn Beckler of Gulf Breeze, Florida, has been named the winner of the 2024 Grace Fulcher Memorial Scholarship.
This scholarship, created in memory and honor of Grace Bernice Fulcher, is awarded annually to a Sinfonia Youth Orchestra high school senior. The 2024 scholarship recipient was announced following the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra Spring Concert on Sunday, May 5.
The scholarship is awarded to contribute to tuition and fees associated with higher education costs. This year’s scholarship amount is $1,000.
Orion Beckler is a senior at Gulf Breeze High School, and he has been playing violin for six years in the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra. For the past year he has served as the Concert Master. He also is the Trumpet Section Leader in the Gulf Breeze High School Marching Band, which he’s performed in for three years.
Beckler says his favorite thing about Sinfonia Youth Orchestra is “learning and growing over the years with the other musicians who have become friends.”
In addition to being a musician, Beckler is a member of the National Honor Society, a lifeguard, swim instructor, junior martial arts instructor, and volunteer at a nursing home in his community.
Beckler has been accepted into the Honors Program at Florida State University, where he plans to attend in the fall to study chemical/materials engineering.
“Music has become the largest part of my life outside of school,” Beckler wrote in his scholarship application. “Between band, symphony, and other music related activities, I have learned that music is something to be shared.”
Student applicants must plan to attend, or currently attend an accredited college or university on a full-time basis; have at least a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and have acquired acceptance to or be enrolled at the college of his/her choice and must be an enrolled full-time student for the fall semester of 2024.
"Orion is a deserving winner of the 2024 Grace Fulcher Memorial Scholarship," said Demetrius Fuller, Founder and Music Director of Sinfonia Gulf Coast. "We thank him for his many years of participation and are proud to support him as he continues his education and pursues his career goals.”
