Honorable Mention Winner
Luis Moroney
St. Petersburg College
Sophomore in Business
3.83 GPA

Most student leaders grow up with role models who have been wonderful, upstanding members of society. For Luis Moroney, 21, this wasn’t the case. For Moroney, his idols were leaders of the underworld, such as John Gotti and Al Capone. After much examination on how these people are remembered in history, Moroney found that if they had chosen a moral path, they could have had a great impact on the world.

As Moroney started at St. Petersburg College, he took the moral path, believing that a good way to start was by helping others. The choice he made to examine this morality changed his life as well many others who have been impacted by his efforts.

In getting started by serving with Habitat for Humanity, Moroney began to enjoy helping others. It was just a few weekends of work, but by seeing the way it affected people’s lives, Moroney knew it was just the start. From there, he volunteered at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and Food Bank, distributing food to the homeless.

It was at this point when Moroney found out about Phi Theta Kappa. He quickly became an executive officer, concentrating on fund-raising. One of his first actions was starting a corporate softball tournament. Sponsored by Hops Restaurants and PTK, the proceeds funded scholarships at St. Petersburg College. “This was a major undertaking which required a great deal of organization, motivation, and volunteers,” says Deborah Proctor, PTK advisor and student activities coordinator for St. Petersburg College. “In essence, he became our liaison with the community.”

Moroney also has a passion for children. He started working with the Youth in Engineering Society, a program designed to let college students mentor and tutor low-income students in math and science. From there, he took responsibility for guiding tours for National Black Child Development Day. Another way Moroney has helped with children was through his internship with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Along with Thunderbug, the Lightning’s mascot, Moroney visited with children and gave away autographs at Tampa General Hospital’s Pediatric Unit.

Moroney then went to the next level and entered the Pinellas County Juvenile Bootcamp, working with kids that had crossed the line of generally-accepted social values. “I had been asked to speak with a group of at-risk teenage boys,” Moroney says. “Going through the fences and the barbed wire, I realized the gravity of the young men’s situations. I explained that life wasn’t all about getting in trouble. Sooner or later, they’d get sick and tired of constantly doing the wrong thing.”

Moroney also is a member of a few support groups, basically to hear what people’s lives have shown them and to learn for his own experiences. “[Moroney] has a remarkable awareness of what’s going on around him at any given moment,” says Paul McGowan Jr., a member of the Junto, as they refer to it. “An old professor of mine used to say, ‘Look, to see, to remember.’ I think Stefan defines this phrase completely.”

Aside from the 75 percent of his tuition that is paid for by the Bright Futures Scholarship, Moroney pays his own way through college by working at Hops Bar and Grill as a server and trainer. “As Aristotle once said, ‘The unexamined life is a life not worth living,’” Moroney says. “Without the foresight to imagine an uninspired life, I would be following the pack, trodding around aimlessly. Instead, I attempt to place myself in a position to make a difference.” RG

Contact Moroney at luis.moroney@ptk.org