The Hawthorne High School in the second year receives a scholarship for the 40 km college board worth $ 40,000

Pupils of the Hawthorne Middle/High School, Teacher and Alachua County Public School (ACPS) Verdmintertors gathered on Wednesday morning in the school’s auditorium when College board member Sophomore Melody Watson surprised with an academic scholarship of $ 40,000.

The scholarship is one of two 40,000 dollars scholarships that are awarded every month by the Bigfuture program of the organization nationwide. Watson, 15, is the first ACPS student who has ever received the award.

Although Watson’s peers were originally afraid to go on stage, they cheered on and shared the surprise of their performance.

“It means that I will be able to visit college and not to emphasize where my finances will come from,” said Watson. “I can go through the college and follow my dream career without worry.”

The College Board is an online community that is intended to help students prepare for college. In 2021, the organization started the Bigfuture program and worked on providing resources to simplify the application steps of the universities. Students can examine career paths, selected universities from over 3,000 scholarships listed in their database.

Bigfuture scholarships stand for all high school studies, junior or senior who complete the six qualified steps on the Bigfuture website, including the start of a career, scholarship and college lists, the application for colleges and the completion of the FAFSA.

Every time a student takes one of the steps, his name is entered in a monthly drawing for the two 40,000 dollars or one of the hundreds of 500 US dollars. Additional entries are made if the student’s family income is less than $ 60,000 or if the student attends a high school, in which 75% or more of the student body is suitable for free or reduced price for lunch.

Even if the students do not win a scholarship, representatives of Bigfuture said that the process encouraged them to take helpful steps to prepare for college.

After the employees of Trios had learned about Bigfuture scholarships at Santa Fe College, Watson waged the employees through the application process. Trio is a state-financed program with which beneficiaries, a lack of generation, veterans and non-traditional college students should help. The Hawthorne Middle/High School is the only ACPS school that takes part in Trio.

The victory was a complete surprise for Watson, which was supposed to be absent for an excursion on Wednesday and Watson’s mother Latoya Roberson. The school informed Roberson in early April that she and her daughter and all other family members should be for a special event at school.

As representatives of College Board and Bigfuture Watson called on stage and presented the scholarship, Roberson said that she and the grandmother of Watson, Aunt and Sister, who also participated in the meeting, were shocked.

“I almost fell out of the seat,” said Roberson. “So overwhelmed, proud, many emotions at once. I started crying and I didn’t notice that I was cried, I’m so proud of her.”

Watson-a first generation student, she wants to use the scholarship money to finance a conclusion of UF to realize her dream of becoming a jurisdiction. She said she hopes to inspire others in her class to do her best, regardless of her fears.

“You should always try to strive for the best to achieve your goals and not to prevent your age, grade or your colleagues or anyone from doing what you want to do,” said Watson. “You should only use the options offered to you.”