Two seniors and one junior in the Building Construction Management program at the University of North Florida have been awarded $3,000 each from the Northeast Florida Builders Association Arnold Tritt Scholarship fund.
Leo John Fitzpatrick, a senior, is a Jacksonville native and a graduate of Bishop Kenny High School. Fitzpatrick, married and the father of two sons, is employed by Florida Rock Industries in addition to being a fulltime student in the BCM program. He is a member of the American Concrete Institute and the vice president of the student chapter of the Construction Specification Institute at UNF.
Fitzpatrick’s volunteer activities have included being a den leader for the Boy Scouts of America and serves as an assistant baseball coach for the San Jose Athletic Association. He was named to Sigma Lambda Chi honor society in recognition of his academic achievement.
Osiel Torres is a native of Mexico who five years ago spoke no English. Torres’ family settled in Okeechobee where he graduated from high school and went on to attend the University of South Florida, earning an associate’s degree.
Now a senior in the BCM program, Torres is employed by Morales Construction Co. in the estimating and project management department. Torres is a member of the Construction Management Association at UNF, and he serves on the UNF-BCM faculty search committee. He is a U.S. Navy Sea Cadet and is active in various community projects. Torres plans to concentrate his efforts in the area of affordable housing.
Peter Lacy, a native of Alabama, is a junior in the BCM program. He is married and served six years in the U.S. Navy. An advocate of green building, Lacy served as vice president of the Green Building Society. He has participated in Builders Care community service projects, as well as in the service-learning project at UNF.
He was named to Sigma Lambda Chi, an honors fraternity. Lacy is employed by Skanska USA Building as a field engineer. During his internship at Skanska, Lacy participated in the projects at Edward Waters College, First Coast High School and Mandarin High School. Lacy’s goal is to be a land developer.
Established by the Northeast Florida Builders Association, the Arnold Tritt Scholarship originally was established to be awarded to juniors and seniors in the University of North Florida Building Construction Management program who demonstrate a financial. Scholarship awards are announced at the UNF Hard Hat Banquet in the spring and the NEFBA/SMC installation ceremony in the winter.
Funds for the scholarship are from member donations and NEFBA fund-raising events.
A tax-deductible donation to the Arnold Tritt Scholarship Fund, a 501( c)(3) non-profit, can be forwarded to NEFBA, 103 Century 21 Drive, Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL 32216-9256.
The Northeast Florida Builders Association provides education, research, legislative representation, media relations, promotions and programs for its 1,900-plus builder and associate members. The Association is celebrating 62 years of service to members and to the community through various charitable efforts. For more information about member benefits, area builders or the association, call (904) 725-4355 or visit online at www.nefba.com.