Joshua Nelson with the President’s Scholarship.Photo: City of St. Charles School District/Facebook
A Missouri teen who earned a college scholarship is now giving back to others in need to ensure they’ll have the same opportunities to succeed.
Joshua Nelson toldGood Morning Americathat he’d been saving up his money so he could pay for college tuition after he graduates from St. Charles West High School this week.
As it turned out, Nelson, 18, didn’t need to use his savings because he was awarded the President’s Scholarship from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), where he’ll be attending in the fall,GMAreported.
The President’s Scholarship is considered the university’s “most prestigious,” with a $43,000 total value, and is only awarded to five top students annually, according tothe school’s website.
However, Nelson still wanted to put his $9,000 to use — so the teen opted to donate his savings to fund a scholarship at his high school for other students in need, according to the outlet.
Joshua Nelson.City of St. Charles School District/Facebook
Nelson decided to fund an annual scholarship at his high school after meeting with his counselor, Yolanda Curry, according toGMA.
The teen said he initially planned to donate his money only once, but later changed his idea to give annual $1,000 payments, which now goes toward the Joshua Nelson Leaders In Action Scholarship, the outlet reported.
The scholarship will include Nelson’s $1,000 donation, and outside donations have help ensured the fund will be around for many years to come.
“I was actually shocked… I wasn’t expecting it at all!” Curry recalled to the outlet of developing the fund with Nelson. “He asked if we could Zoom one day because he had a great idea and wanted to share it with me. I could tell he was really excited.”
On June 1, Nelson got to hand out his first scholarship to fellow student Darrell Montalvo-Luna, according toGMA.
“He’s an encourager,” Curry continued. “He’s good at building others up and does what he can to help encourage and motivate those around him.”
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Added the City of St. Charles School Districtin a statement on Facebook: “Josh is a member of the National Honor Society, the varsity boys basketball team, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is president of the Multicultural Achievement Council (MAC) Scholars of SCW. He’s an amazing student and we’re proud to call him one of our own.”
Looking ahead to his future, Nelson said he hopes to continue helping others as he majors in biomedical sciences and enters SEMO’s pre-optometry program.
“My whole family has very poor vision, we’re all relying on contacts and glasses,” Nelson explained toGMA. “I was thinking if I want to go into the medical field, let me go somewhere that’s going to help me and my family.”
“If you take into consideration how much vision is going to downgrade due to exposure to blue lights with technology and stuff, I feel like it’s going to be a much needed profession,” he added.
source: people.com
