By: Kathryn Hodgins, Content and Public Relations Specialist, Florida Virtual School

Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is proud to announce our 2025–26 Sunshine State Scholars: Julia Rossini and Cade Respess, along with alternate Connal Queen. 

The Sunshine State Scholars program celebrates high school juniors who excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and encourages them to pursue careers that will shape Florida’s future. They will represent FLVS at the two-day event in Orlando on March 5-6, 2026, and participate in networking sessions, college workshops, and collaborative “think tank” activities aimed at solving real-world challenges.

Meet Our Scholars

Julia Rossini

Julia is dedicated to making a difference in healthcare after watching her mother experience a chronic illness. She dreams of becoming a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, with a focus on researching chronic illnesses, autoimmune diseases, and herptic viruses. She’s already completed more than 25 hours of virtual clinical shadowing across multiple medical specialties, completed over 200 hours of community service, participated in Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), created homeless care kits to promote compassion and public health, and even had her own club to raise awareness about the adverse effects of toxic fragrances. She is a part of the FLVS Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma program. After high school, she plans to pursue a degree in biology from a Florida college, followed by medical school.

Cade Respess

Also a member of the Cambridge AICE Diploma program, Cade discovered his love for marine science at a young age and has since dedicated himself to protecting Florida’s ecosystems. His hands-on experience includes coral propagation, sea turtle nesting conservation, and the Great Bay Scallop Search, where he took a census of the scallop population in Tampa Bay. He also has extensive work with Tampa Bay Watch, where he bagged shells for shoreline restoration, prepared molds for oyster reef balls for oyster reef construction. Cade’s future plans include studying marine biology or environmental science at a Florida university and developing sustainable solutions to combat coral bleaching and harmful algae blooms. His goal is to safeguard Florida’s marine biodiversity and strengthen the state’s marine-based economy through innovative STEM research.

Connal Queen (Alternate)

Connal’s STEM journey began with a fascination for video games, which evolved into a passion for programming and computer science. He has built his own computer, modified gaming systems, and earned a Python Programming Specialist certification through FLVS. Currently dual-enrolled at Daytona State College, Connal is working toward his associate degree in computer programming and analysis while maintaining membership in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. FLVS has afforded him several opportunities to explore his passion for STEM, including a robotics summer camp, a computer engineering summer camp, and a coding club. His future goal is to pursue game development, particularly in the indie space, where he can combine his programming, graphic design, 3D modeling, and creative skills, such as music composition and writing. Connal also advocates for the ethical use of artificial intelligence and hopes to contribute to global standards to prevent the misuse of emerging technologies.

Looking Ahead

These FLVS Full Time students exemplify the innovation and dedication that the Sunshine State Scholars program seeks to foster. We are thrilled to see Julia, Cade, and Connal represent Florida Virtual High School and look forward to the incredible impact they will make in their respective fields.