Four Future Brevard Graduates Will Receive a New Annual Scholarship
A new scholarship created by Navy veteran and longtime Brevard resident David W. Matte will support one graduating BPS senior each year for four years.
A new scholarship will begin following one Brevard Public Schools graduate through four years of college — and another student will join the program every year after that.
The David W. Matte Scholarship, administered by Brevard Schools Foundation, will award one graduating senior $1,250 annually for four consecutive years. Applications begin with the Class of 2027, when the foundation's scholarship portal opens in January.
A scholarship trifecta
Matte is a U.S. Navy veteran and longtime Brevard resident who retired in 2020 after more than 35 years with Harris Corporation, now L3Harris Technologies. He has also served on boards and commissions in Palm Bay and Brevard County and was named Palm Bay's Volunteer of the Year in 2002.
He previously established scholarships at Eastern Florida State College and Florida Atlantic University. The new award for graduating high-school seniors completes what he calls a scholarship trifecta.
Matte said his daughter, a 2014 Melbourne High graduate, and his niece, a 1998 Palm Bay High graduate, helped inspire the new fund.
Who can apply
The first recipient must be:
- A graduating Brevard Public Schools senior.
- Accepted to a Florida public university.
- Carrying at least a 3.0 GPA.
Preference will be given to students planning to study business administration, reflecting Matte's own career in financial analysis.
The annual award will not cover a degree by itself, but $5,000 over four years can help with tuition, books, fees or the smaller expenses that make staying enrolled harder than getting accepted.
Students can watch the Brevard Schools Foundation scholarship page for the January 2027 application opening.
Sources
Kimberly Smith
Kimberly reports on nonprofits, volunteers, public health, and the neighbors turning good intentions into measurable local change. She looks for clear ways readers can understand a need, meet the people responding to it, and take part themselves.
