Honorable Mention Winner
Tyler Merritt
University of West Florida
Junior in Computer Science
3.42 GPA
     "I told myself that I wouldn’t just let life take me as it would. I wanted to chart my own course," says Tyler Merritt,19. With involvements such as fund-raising for the Honors Council, designing web sites for the honors program and the Florida Collegiate Honors Council (FCHC)—a forum for all statewide honors programs to come together and share information—and setting up a blanket drive for the homeless, Merritt hopes to "blaze a trail for others to follow."
     In the UWF Honors Program, Merritt serves as the treasurer and fund-raising committee chair for the Honors Council. He created five fund-raising programs, which raised more than $1,000 in the fall 2000 semester—the most money ever raised by the Honors Council during a single semester. "One of my ideas was to help local companies with advertising," Merritt says. "We contacted Papa John's pizza and offered to pass out coupon door hangers—we made $250 in fours hours."
     In February 2000, a student caucus chose Merritt to represent UWF in the FCHC. As a newly elected member, Merritt works with other representatives to improve the quality of programs. He also designs and maintains the honors program web site and receives offers to do more sites all the time. Merritt also is finishing a new site, StudentsOnly.
     "One thing that separates Tyler from the rest is his ability to get a large project underway and accomplished," says Gregory W. Lanier, director of the University Honors Program. One such project was the UWF Honors Blanket Drive in spring 2000, which collected more than 500 blankets for local homeless and battered-women’s shelters. "People shouldn’t be living on the streets, shouldn’t be without jobs, without health care—without," Merritt says. This project for community homeless awareness almost didn’t happen. Merritt worked the entire summer of 2000 trying to put together a plan, but he had a hard time getting people to listen. "I would do anything if people with the means would stop and listen to me," he says. "I want them saying to themselves, ‘This isn’t right. The problems that this kid is talking about just aren’t right.’" In fall 2000, Merritt received help from Samaritan’s Hand, and other organizations chipped in on the effort. Schools, churches, and the library sent new and used blankets into the drive. Collecting more than 500 blankets this time, Merritt passed the torch on to a new committee of 10 honor students who will run the effort to raise more than 5,000 blankets in 2001. "Of all the things I’ve done in college, the blanket drive makes me the proudest. It has been extremely difficult and frustrating, but never regrettable," Merritt says. "I’d do it all over again." His next plan is to tackle illiteracy. "We’re going to hit the tutoring-in-elementary-schools thing hard next year," he says.
     Merritt’s tuition and books are fully covered by the Florida Bright Futures scholarship. His housing is paid 70 percent out-of-pocket and 30 percent by his parents. He pays for 100 percent of food costs along with car insurance and other expenses.
     "Tyler is clearly a rapidly rising young leader who cares about his community," Lanier says. "We should all try to imitate his example."
Contact Merritt at TGM1@students.uwf.edu.