MIAMI – One lucky South Florida high school senior received a life-changing surprise.
A member of the Class of 2020 at Booker T. Washington received a free ride to college.
Anticipation building over a special zoom call featuring eight student finalists, all high school seniors waiting to find out if they’ll spend the next four years with a full ride scholarship to the school of their dreams.
"We started with 16 students at booker T Washington," said scholarship chair Rick Freedman. "Today we’re about to announce our ninth recipient."
What started with celebrating eight finalists on a computer came down to surprising one at her home, with the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club presenting a giant scholarship check for $30 thousand.
Her name is Zamiah Wadley. She’s 18 years old and this moment was big.
Standing beside Zamiah was her proud and beaming mother
Zamiah will be the first person in her family to attend college. She’s graduating in the top four percent of her class and plans to study physical therapy at Bethune University.
"it’s just overwhelming," she said.
The Scholarship Committee was touched by Zamiah’s volunteer work with children with special needs and more than 1300 hours of community service. It was a proud moment for her elementary school teacher, who surprised her at the big reveal.
In a year where graduation is marked by masks and social distancing, Zamiah said this is the moment that will stay with her, the moment that makes her dream come true.
“Depending on whether or not I won would have determined if I would actually get the whole college experience or stay here, so I’m thankful for this,” she said.