When she’s not working or at a civic engagement, Islamorada’s Stephanie Scuderi can be found enjoying some time at a nursery (no, not the one for little kids). It provides a sense of calm, peaceful quiet and clean air for Scuderi, who serves as market president for Centennial Bank. Her favorite respite is the MARC House Plant Store in Key West. She said she’s always up for another degree. Maybe horticulture is next?
Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?
I had a lovely time with Sam Shepard on the porch of Pierre’s restaurant one quiet night years ago.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Doing the right thing with a kind heart.
What song always gets you on the dance floor?
Easy…The Mavericks’ “ All Night Long.”
What item do you hate spending money on when you go to the grocery store?
Incremental pricing driven by reckless politicians and power-hungry dictators.
Dream vacation destination?
Any place I can’t get cell reception.
Least favorite smell?
Other than the obvious, vanilla.
Best purchase you’ve ever made?
Education and travel.
Did you grow up in a strict household?
I literally graduated high school from a convent.
Were you bullied as a kid?
At an all-girls school? Of course! Girls can be so cruel. I remember it like it was yesterday…I would wait until I was in my mother’s car after school and burst into tears. Seventh grade was THE WORST! My parents told me then, “You’ll meet people like that your whole life.” And darn if they didn’t speak the truth.
To be fair and honest, there’s one girl to whom my BFF and I were not very kind. Often, and to this day, I think of my own actions and this girl (now a wildly successful and stunningly beautiful woman) with true regret.
As hard as it was in the ‘80s, it was analog and limited to school hours. Today’s cyber-bullying has no time constraints – it is anonymous, relentless and a beast I wish we knew how to slay. My unsolicited advice for middle and high school students: Aim to do the right thing, and do it with genuine kindness in your heart. You don’t ever want to regret the way you treated someone, even if it was 35+ years ago. It’s not cool to be cruel.
