By NORINE ROWE
NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs Department

PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, MD-The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) recently presented Adrianna Guido a scholarship award in the agency's first-ever Scholarships for Military Children program. Guido, who received the $1,500 scholarship in an award ceremony at the station commissary June 21, was one of 390 winners from among 5,000 applicants worldwide.

The DeCA scholarship is awarded on a competitive and selective basis as a result of meritorious achievement in academic studies, citizenship, leadership and school and community activities. Presenting the award was Debbie House, store director of the station commissary, accompanied by Calvin Galbreath, store administrator, and Capt. Dane Swanson, executive officer, Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

A recent graduate of Leonardtown High School, Guido will attend Pennsylvania State University this fall as an information science and technology major. She graduated with a 3.995 grade point average following four years in the college prep program, with a math and science concentration, that included honors and advanced placement classes. She served as class secretary and co-captain of the school tennis team and was a member of the National Honor Society, the Student Council Association and the Interact Club.

In addition to completing the college prep program at Leonardtown High School, Guido also completed the graphic arts program at the St. Mary's County Technical Center where she served as an officer of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America and was a member of the National Vocational Technical Honor Society. Besides providing an outlet for her artistic talents, Guido said the graphic arts program at the Tech Center helped her acquire technical skills she will need for a career in Web design and multimedia. She recently put these skills to the test in the 2001 Imation Computer Arts Scholarship Program where she won a $1,000 scholarship and a trip to the company's Minnesota headquarters. She was one of 25 Imation scholarship recipients nationwide and the only winner from Maryland.

Guido also received a $1,300 scholarship from the International Test and Evaluation Association, a $1,000 Long and Foster Scholarship, a $1,000 Jerald Jeffein Scholarship and a $500 scholarship from the National Contract Management Association (Chesapeake Bay Chapter). She applied to six colleges and universities and was accepted by all of them.

"I was pretty timid when I first arrived in St. Mary's County, but I discovered that the quality of education here is as good or better than anywhere else," said Guido. "I ended up loving Leonardtown High School, and I found that the Tech Center provides students with wonderful opportunities to learn career-related technical skills."

To other students transferring to the southern Maryland region, Guido offers a few suggestions based on her own experiences.

"Education is what you make of it," said Guido. "You just have to experiment and see what works for you. Go with your instincts, try your hardest, and see where it leads you."

Guido is the daughter of Tony and Laura Guido of California, Md. Her father works as head of the software engineering division with the Naval Air Systems Command.

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