Twenty Sarasota-Manatee high schoolers return from Civil Rights immersion in Alabama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2026

Bending the Arc Scholars with BDI Program Coordinator Anthony-George Holliman before the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. (March 17, 2026)

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 2, 2026) — This spring, 20 high school students from Sarasota and Manatee counties returned from a week-long trip to Alabama with more than memories—they came back with a deeper understanding of the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

Representing eight area high schools, the students make up the 2025-26 cohort of the Boxser Diversity Initiative’s Bending the Arc program. Their spring break journey capped a six-month immersion in civil rights education that combined historical study, dialogue with leading scholars and educators and on-the-ground learning in the places where history happened.

Traveling through Montgomery, Tuskegee, Selma and Birmingham, they visited 21 historic sites, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Equal Justice Initiative national lynching memorial, experiencing firsthand where the Civil Rights Movement unfolded. They return home at a time when many of the same questions—about voting rights, justice and equality—remain unresolved, carrying with them not just history, but a renewed sense of responsibility.

BTA Scholars stand at the entrace of Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Ala., with chaperones and BDI Learning Director Edna Sherrell (March 15, 2026).

A Transformative Educational Experience

“What these students experienced in Alabama is the heart of what Bending the Arc is all about,” said Dan Boxser, BDI co-founder and Board chair. “They didn’t just learn about history—they stood inside it. They asked hard questions, supported one another and returned home changed in ways that will shape how they see themselves and the world around them.”

Edna Sherrell, BDI director of learning, emphasized the depth of student engagement throughout the journey: “This cohort showed extraordinary openness and courage. They engaged with painful history with maturity, empathy and curiosity. What stood out most was how they connected the past to their own lives and to the responsibility they now feel as young leaders. That is the true measure of transformative learning.”

John Annis, interim CEO of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, which sponsors the program, highlighted the importance of experiential learning in civic education: “Bending the Arc offers young people the kind of immersive, meaningful educational experience we believe in supporting. These students are not only learning history—they are building the compassion, critical thinking and leadership skills that our communities need for the future.”

BTA Scholar Sophia Duque plays card game as an engaging way to challenge preconceived notions and enhance bias awareness (Alabama, March 18, 2026)

Student Voice: A Lasting Impact

For many scholars, the experience was deeply personal and emotionally transformative.

Ambar Galva-Perez (Booker High School ‘28) reflected on her experience:

“The trip was as life-changing as [the BDI team] said it was going to be. It was beautiful. I cried a lot. There were other students [who] cried with me. I felt like I made such a deep connection with other students and my friends that came with me on this trip. I definitely got a new understanding. The places we went to really helped [me] immerse myself into the Civil Rights history. And there were a lot of times where we were speaking about victims of segregation, of racism, of slavery. And it was such a beautiful thing because they really did an amazing job of personalizing the victims.”

When asked whether she would recommend the program, she added:

“A hundred percent. Oh my gosh. A hundred percent. I would love to go on this trip again.”

BTA Scholars, chaperones meet brothers of the Gamma Phi chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity on Tuskegee University's campus (March 16, 2026).

The 2025–26 Bending the Arc Scholars

Amari Brown (Sarasota Military Academy ‘28)

Christian Carrillo (Booker High School ‘27)

Jodany Del Rosario (Booker High School ‘27)

Sophia Duque (Sarasota High School ‘28)

Delvin Evans, Jr. (Suncoast Polytechnical High School ‘27)

Ambar Galva-Perez (Booker High School ‘28)

Isabella Giron (Braden River High School ‘26)

Gianna Glover (Booker High School ‘26)

Isabella Lesko (Sarasota High School ‘28)

Alisson Lopez (Booker High School ‘28)

Mackenzie Lynn (Venice High School ‘27)

Shanthi Marmash (Pine View School ‘27)

Katherine Molina (Sarasota Military Academy ‘28)

Zyairra Morris (Booker High School ‘26)

Samara Nascimento (Venice High School ‘26)

Lubens Pierre (Riverview High School ‘28)

Isabella Santiago (Venice High School ‘26)

Trasandra Simmons (Booker High School ‘27)

Fabiana Vera (Sarasota High School ‘26)

Briana Wadsworth (Booker High School ‘28)

Each student will receive a $500 scholarship and an Award Certificate at an upcoming ceremony, recognizing their participation in the intensive civic learning experience. The certificate will be signed by Harvard University Professor and BDI Advisor Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy and Pennsylvania State University Professor Emeritus and former President of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History Dr. James Stewart.

BTA Scholars explore murals at Foot Soldier Park and Education Center in Selma, Ala. (March 17, 2026).

Looking Ahead

Applications for the next cohort of Bending the Arc will open in August 2026.

Community members can support BDI's programs during the 2026 Giving Challenge, from April 15 to 16, hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation through a one-to-one donation match.

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