Hawthorne Middle/High School students, teachers and Alachua County Public School (ACPS) administrators assembled in the school’s auditorium Wednesday morning when the College Board surprised sophomore Melody Watson with a $40,000 academic scholarship.
The scholarship is one of two $40,000 scholarships given out nationwide every month by the organization’s BigFuture program. Watson, 15, is the first ACPS student to ever receive the award.
Although initially scared to go up on stage, Watson’s peers cheered her on, sharing in the surprise of her accomplishment.
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“It means that I’ll be able to attend college and not have to stress over where my finances are going to come from,” Watson said. “I can go through college and pursue my dream career without worries.”
The College Board is an online nonprofit aiming to help students prepare for college. In 2021, the organization launched the BigFuture program, working to provide resources to simplify college application steps. Students can explore career paths, select colleges from over 3,000 listed in its database and earn scholarships.
BigFuture scholarships are available to any high school sophomore, junior or senior who completes the six qualifying steps on BigFuture’s website, which include starting a career, scholarship and college lists, applying to colleges and completing the FAFSA.
Each time a student completes one of the steps, their name is entered into a monthly drawing for the two $40,000 scholarships or one of the hundreds of $500 scholarships. Additional entries are made if the student’s family income is less than $60,000 or if the student attends a high school where 75% or more of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
Even if students don’t win a scholarship, BigFuture representatives said the process encourages them to go through helpful steps in preparing for college.
After hearing about BigFuture scholarships through TRIO’s Educational Talent Search program at Santa Fe College, staff guided Watson through the application process. TRIO is a federally funded program designed to help income-eligible, first-generation, veteran and non-traditional college students. Hawthorne Middle/High School is the only ACPS school participating in TRIO.
The win came as a complete surprise to Watson, who was originally supposed to be absent on Wednesday for a field trip, and to Watson’s mom, Latoya Roberson. The school informed Roberson in early April that she and her daughter and any other family members needed to be at school for a special event.
When representatives from the College Board and BigFuture called Watson on stage and presented the scholarship, Roberson said she and Watson’s grandmother, aunt and sister, who also attended the assembly, were shocked.
“I almost fell out of the seat,” Roberson said. “So overwhelmed, proud, a lot of emotions all at once. I started crying and didn’t realize I was crying, I’m so proud of her.”
Watson—a first-generation college student—said she aims to use the scholarship money to fund a degree from UF to pursue her dream of becoming a travel nurse. She said she hopes it inspires others in her class to strive to do their best, no matter their fears.
“You should always try to strive for the best, to reach your goals and not let your age or your grade or your peers or anybody prevent you from accomplishing what you want to do,” Watson said. “You should always just take the opportunities presented to you.”
Lillian Hamman is Mainstreet’s member ambassador and food writer based in Gainesville. She earned a degree in creative writing with a minor in business from Berry College and has worked in podcast production and news reporting. Lillian is a fan of classic films, maker of all things textiles, and runner of all roads.
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