Age 18/2013 Leesburg High School graduate

Tyler Brandeburg[divider_1px]

I am attending the University of Florida in August as a college freshman. I will earn a bachelor’s degree in finance and then a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

I chose UF because both my parents graduated from there. It has become a family tradition. Plus, I have been attending home Gator football games for as long as I can remember.

After college, I want to move back to Lake County and work here. I’m a lifelong Lake County resident and love the people and small-town atmosphere.

One of my fondest childhood memories was raising $5,425 for the Lake County Sheriff Office’s K-9 Unit as a sixth-grade student. I sent out hundreds of letters to residents all over the county and received many donations. As a result, I won the Lake County Sherriff’s Gold Star Award for community service.

For fun, I golf almost every evening at Harbor Hills with Dr. Carl Ollivierre, an orthopedic surgeon in Leesburg, and Dr. Kevin Chun, a dermatologist in Leesburg. We have a lot of fun, but the atmosphere is competitive. They enjoy playing mind games with me, and most nights, they beat me!

Last March I hit my first ever hole-in-one on the eighth hole at Harbor Hills. I was golfing with Harbor Hills’ head golf professional Tom Leimberger. I’m glad he was there to be a witness. The hole is 170 yards. We watched the ball hit onto the green and go all the way in. The ball teetered on the edge of the hole before finally dropping.

I primarily read biographies on interesting people such as Steve Jobs, Ronald Reagan, and Nikola Tesla.

My favorite all-time movie is “The Shawshank Redemption.” Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors. I could watch that movie 10 times in a row and never become bored.[divider_1px]

VITAL STATS

• It’s all academic: 4.7 weighted grade-point average
• Clubbin’: National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Mu Alpha Theta
• Hitting the books: Tackled 10 advanced placement classes during his four years at Leesburg High School.
• Let’s go swingin’: Competed on the Leesburg High School golf team from grades 10–12.
• What an honor: One of only three boys in his class to attend the Florida American Legion Boys State in Tallahassee in 2012, where he learned how local, state, and national governmental bodies operate