Fifteen-year-old Melody Watson couldn’t understand why she was kept back at school on April 30 rather than going on a field trip with the rest her class. She got the answer during a school-wide assembly, when she was surprised with the news that she’d won a $40,000 scholarship.
The Hawthorne Middle/High School sophomore is one of just two students nationwide to win the BigFuture scholarship from the College Board this month. The College Board selects the winners from among 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who are planning ahead for college and/or careers. Stephanie Tate of the College Board visited Hawthorne to make the announcement in front of hundreds of cheering students in the school’s auditorium.
“I won’t have to stress about where the money’s coming from and how I’m going to pay back any loans,” said Melody. “I can just attend college and pursue my dream career without those worries.”
Melody’s dream career is nursing. To reach that goal, she’s taking advanced courses at Hawthorne Middle/High and is also enrolled part time at Santa Fe College so that she can earn her Associate of Arts degree at the same time she earns her high school diploma. She then hopes to earn a nursing degree at the University of Florida.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and be there for them, and I feel like nursing would be perfect,” Melody said. “I also want to be in an environment where I can work with a group or one-on-one.”
Melody is also involved in the TRIO Educational Talent Search program offered at Hawthorne through Santa Fe College. The program supports students who are striving to be the first in their families to attend college. The program offers college and career guidance, financial aid information, coursework planning and even college tours.
“Melody is an excellent student,” said Lindsey Ragsdale, coordinator of the TRIO program. “She literally personifies everything you want in a student. She is driven, she is positive, she is always willing to go above and beyond to do what she needs to do to reach her goals.”
Several of Melody’s family members were on hand for the announcement, although they didn’t know why the school had asked them to be there. Melody’s mother, Latoya Roberson, says she was both shocked and thrilled when she realized what had happened.
“It’s a stepping stone,” said Robertson, who believes Melody’s success will have an impact on her six siblings. “She’s showing them that if you apply yourself, you never know who’s watching.
Hawthorne Principal John Green says Melody is very deserving of the scholarship.
“She’s an outstanding student,” he said. “She pours a lot into her academic pursuits and is very focused on what she needs to do. She knows education is the pathway to what she wants to accomplish. We’re really, really proud of her.
