Name: Shontel Dove
House: Tyner
Hi everyone, my name is Shontel Dove and I am from Lakeland Florida. My whole family is from Jamaica, so I grew up around that culture the most. The few relatives that live close by are my grandpa, grandma, and uncle. I love family so much and hope to have a family reunion soon with the others who are still in Jamaica. I graduated from George Jenkins High School as class of 2020 and enjoyed my high school experience due to my involvement in sports. I ran track and was a member of the JROTC Raiders in all four years of high school. I loved it when I would reach a new personal record in running and in the competition events for Raiders. I mostly ran the 400-meter dash and 4×4 Relay in track. In Raiders, I participated in flex-arm hang, curl-ups, relays, and boardwalk. I was very competitive and dedicated to becoming better than before.
My sister, Shinel, was a former UF student who also lived at SSF and she encouraged me to apply as soon as I could. I remember visiting her SSF house, Badcock, when I was younger and getting a feeling of its structure. She briefly described the routines and responsibilities I would be given at SSF, but she heavily boasted about the fun she had during her time here. I became very interested and thankful that she guided me to many scholarships such as SSF.
As a college student, I still stay active by going to the gym, fitness classes, or playing flag football with the girls at Tyner. I also express my creativity though custom apparel, paintings, drawings, and graphic designs. It’s so relaxing when I create art pieces such that I try to make it a weekly routine despite a busy week. I have always had a love for art since a young child. Up until this day, I still have a storage of all my art pieces since elementary, one of which was placed in the Lakeland museum. In fact, one of the reasons why I chose to major in marketing was so that I could use my creativity to attract customers. Through entrepreneurship, I hope to appeal and satisfy others with a clothing brand that exhibits my artistic abilities.
