LAKE TWP. ‒ Violet Seaman thought she was in trouble when she was pulled from her classroom by her principal.
Instead of a punishment, the Lake High School senior was in for the surprise of a lifetime.
Seaman — in front of her family — was notified Jan. 23 that she’s one of five students who are receiving the presidential scholarship from Thiel College in western Pennsylvania. She was among more than 150 students competing for the honor.
Mez Tobias, Thiel admissions counselor for Ohio, presented Seaman with an oversized check for $158,080 that will cover four years of tuition. Joining Tobias was Seaman’s mother, grandparents and aunt.
“We think you are very good fit and (we are) excited to invest money into you,” Tobias said.
“I thought I was in trouble,” Seaman quipped. “I never expected this in a million years. I was very confused why my mom and grandma, grandpa and aunt were there and then I saw Mez and I was just shocked.”
“You deserve it,” Tobias added.
Seaman’s mom, Jamie Cole, said the scholarship award is incredible, adding Thiel was among her top two choices.
A student in the biomedical sciences career tech program at Hoover High School, the 17-year-old plans to pursue a nursing degree focusing on pediatrics.
Lake Middle and High School principal Dan Harold said Seaman is a well-rounded student who will be an asset to Thiel.
“I never had to worry about her,” Harold said. “Last year, she decided to play basketball and that was out of her wheelhouse but I think she got as much out of high school (as she could).”
Seaman is a member of the volleyball and softball teams. She has played the piano since the age of 5. Last year, she participated in Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), a national program aimed at equipping girls with skills needed to navigate challenges and ensuring they are confident and secure in their abilities.
Seaman learned about Thiel through her volleyball coach, who had coached for the college. She plans to continue her volleyball career in college.
When she learned about the scholarship competition, she thought “who wouldn’t want free money.”
The scholarship competition was a great opportunity, but Seaman never thought she would be one of the recipients, adding that she saw that two of the scholarships already were awarded. Those winners, she said, were impressive.
“I didn’t have the same attributes and they did a lot in their communities,” Seaman said.
More than 150 students participated in the competition that included group and individual interviews by faculty and staff. Winners were chosen after participating in one of three scholarship competitions (two in person, and one online). Judges evaluated the students’ answers before narrowing it to the final five.
Seaman didn’t have expectations of winning, but said she tried to be herself during the interviews.
“I thought (the interviews) went really well but I told my mom on the way home there was no way I was going to get it,” she said.
Seaman said the campus in Greenville, Pennsylvania, is beautiful and all of the people she met were nice.
“I love the volleyball coaches,” she added.
A Division III school, scholarships for Thiel are academic-based.
Asked to give five words to describe how she was feeling after learning about the scholarship award, Seaman replied, “Shocked, surprised, elated and excited for the future.”
The scholarship, she said, will give her the opportunity to graduate with no debt and being able to start a life after college.
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Shocked, surprised, elated.’ Lake High senior picked for full-ride college scholarship
Reporting by Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent / The Repository
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