Carrington Clark, a senior at Glenda Dawson High School, was surprised with a $40,000 scholarship from College Board on Friday, August 26, during a student assembly. The Dawson HS student is one of the two nationwide $40,000 scholarship winners for the month of August 2022.

Clark earned a chance for the $40,000 scholarship by completing at least one of the key steps to plan, prepare and pay for college through BigFuture, the College Board’s online guide that helps students plan for life after high school. BigFuture recommends small steps that all students—no matter their high school—can take at just the right time to explore career interests, identify potential majors, find colleges and scholarships and access financial aid.

Described as a hard worker and dedicated student and as a leader from an early age, Clark is involved in cheerleading and wants to pursue a business degree at a historically black college/university (HBCU).

“When they called my name, I couldn’t even process it all the way. I was so in shock,” Clark said. “Receiving this scholarship is going to make me push myself even more.”

BigFuture rewards the students’ efforts by providing chances at scholarships. Through this program, two $40,000 and hundreds of $500 scholarships—totaling more than $3 million—will be awarded each month to class of 2023 students through February 2023.

All class of 2023 students are now eligible to win $500 and $40,000 scholarships they can use at two- or four-year institutions. There are no essay, test score, citizenship status, family income, or minimum GPA requirements. Drawings for $500 and $40,000 are held every month. Students whose families earn less than $60,000 per year have extra chances at scholarships and earn double the entries for every drawing. The sooner students complete the steps and the more steps they take, the more entries they’ll earn. Students can head to bigfuture.org to begin completing college planning steps and earn scholarships.

(08/26/2022)