LICK CREEK, Ky. (WYMT) – The annual Mountain Basketball Classic Scholarship Awards Banquet saw its second largest number of scholarships this year, with 125 seniors taking home $1,000. Three of those seniors were awarded the special Ralph Gabbard Memorial Scholarship, including one student athlete from Pike County.
East Ridge High School senior Adrianne Abshire knows all about the power of keeping a record. She has watched, during her time on the softball field, as local news organizations have helped capture memories for herself and her teammates.
“Honestly, it was so cool to see my like pictures of myself and like my stats on there even my friends my friends were seniors last year. I love seeing them on there. I got a lot of their memories captured,” she said.
With those moments coming close to an end, as she prepares for her final semesters of school, Abshire said she has a growing appreciation for media and the memories. So, the Warrior has been part of the school’s yearbook team this year, helping to keep a record of her final year at The Ridge.
“This year, we got to take pictures of sports and stuff like that, and that really interested me,” Abshire said. “So much so that I’m getting a camera for Christmas, so I can document mine and my friends’ last summer before we go to college.”
She said that passion for capturing moments led to the creation of the school’s 2024 pep club, which allowed her to create social media accounts to not only collect photos, but encourage participation.
“I made a page on TikTok and Instagram, posting videos, telling everybody to go to games,” she said. “And that was a lot of fun and it interested me in journalism and broadcasting.”
The pages include small segments like “Meet the Warriors” and “Tomahawk Talks,” as well as a few popular trends, with an East Ridge twist.
“I post for each game, to let everyone know, so they can come out and have school spirit and stuff like that,” said Abshire. “And, honestly, I do think that it’s helped a lot of people coming to games and, you know, even just having themes to dress up. It makes a lot of people want to come.”
Seeing her work make an impact has led her to consider a career in journalism, saying she knows how important it is to keep people entertained, informed, and included.
“And especially in this time, when we have so much technology and we’re always on our phones,” she said. “It’s way easier now to get news from all around the world, and I think it’s very interesting. And even from other states or other countries, to look at things that are going on there that might possibly impact us.”
She said her current plan is to attend Morehead State University, with a focus on journalism, which is where mountain broadcast legend and WYMT founder Ralph Gabbard comes into the picture. Abshire applied for the Ralph Gabbard Memorial Scholarship and was awarded $1,000 to help offset the costs of furthering her dreams.
“College is expensive. It’s very expensive. And I’d like to help my parents out as much as I can,” she said.
She said the investment in her future means everything, even if she decides to take on a different career path, because it will provide her a little less stress as she enters the world of higher education.
Abshire said she encourages other students to apply for the scholarships provided through the Mountain Classic next year, saying a little help could go a long way.
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