Men’s Club Makes Scholarship Awards

On June 5, members and guests of The Right Men’s Club of Collier County (RMCCC) gathered at the Naples Hilton for a breakfast meeting where the Club presented scholarship awards to four outstanding Collier County high school seniors. A total of 64 people attended the event.

The RMCCC began awarding scholarships to local high school students in 2017. The goal is to recognize and support students who demonstrate strong academic excellence and a commitment to their community. What sets these scholarships apart is the requirement that applicants submit an essay expressing their views on a current issue related to the rights and responsibilities of citizens under the U.S. Constitution.

This year, applications were received from students at two traditional public high schools — Naples High School and Barron Collier High School — and two public charter schools — Mason Classical Academy and Marco Island Academy.

Each scholarship provides $2,250 per year for up to four years, for a potential total of $9,000 per recipient. With the addition of these four 2026 awards, the Club will support 12 college students during the 2026–2027 academic year.

2026 Scholarship Recipients:

• Nathan Edwards — Naples High School graduate attending the University of Notre Dame, majoring in civil engineering
• Julia Berger — Marco Island Academy graduate attending Belmont University, majoring in nursing
• Cooper Kummer — Naples High School graduate attending the University of Florida, majoring in international business
• Fitan O’Keefe — Barron Collier High School graduate attending Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in engineering

The Club also continues to support a Florida Gulf Coast University student through a dedicated endowment. In addition, an award was made to Immokalee Technical College (iTech), a state-of-the-art career and technical education center serving both high school students and adults. iTech will use the funds to provide gap funding for financially needy students who require assistance for specific training-related items. Aaron Paquette, Director of iTech, attended the awards ceremony.

The Club’s total scholarship commitment for 2026 exceeds $32,000. All awards are being made on behalf of the newly formed Men’s Club of Collier County Foundation, Inc.

RMCCC Scholarship Committee Member Dr JB Holmes presents a scholarship to Naples High School grad Cooper Kummer

Marco Island Academy grad Julia Berger accepts award from RMCCC Board Member Glenn Brown

RMCCC Treasurer Mike Nadolski presents a scholarship to Barron High School grad Fitan O’Keefe

Naples High School grad Nathan Edwards with RMCCC Scholarship Committee Member Ed Thompson

Director Aaron Paquette accepts award on behalf of the Immokalee Technical College