HARLINGEN — Harlingen South senior Adey Awah is a model student.
He’s Top 10 in his class, is spoken highly of as an athlete by all his coaches and seems to have it all figured out.
Now, after earning the Terry Foundation Scholarship, Awah will get to attend Texas A&M University with out any worries.
“The scholarship meant a lot to me because without it, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to attend Texas A&M,” Awah said. “Once I was awarded, it was a weight off my shoulders. I didn’t have to worry my mother about the money for it, nor would I have to think of ways I would have to pay for it all — it was a blessing.”
The Terry Foundation’s goal is to improve and develop the state of Texas by assisting qualified students in attending the state’s top universities.
This spring, more than 990 seniors applied and were interviewed and 475 scholarships were awarded, totaling $8.2 million.
So, essentially, being a recipient means a full ride, but it’s a long process filled with waiting and interviews.
For the South senior, it was a nerve-wracking process.
“I waited almost a month before I heard back and, for a moment, I didn’t think I had gotten it,” Awah said. “Then, during a science day at school, I checked my emails during a break and found out there was an interview date arranged for me.”
There was a lot of competition for the scholarships, but fit the bill.
He is a team captain in football and track and field, involved with community service projects and is active in extra curricular activities.
In the end, a nervous Awah walked into his interviews and just went with the flow.
“I was excited, but as the interview neared, I told myself maybe I’m not ready,” he explained. “I wondered what they were going to ask. All I knew was to be prepared to talk about myself, so that was hard.
“When I came into the interview, it helped that they were Terry Scholars themselves. I was just myself and had a conversation.”
Now, Awah hopes to live up to what the Terry Scholarship is all about.
He will head to Texas A&M and study bio chemistry and upon completion, will enroll in the pharmacy program.
Ultimately, Awah is hoping to study nuclear pharmacy and become a doctor of sports medicine and follow in his family’s footsteps.
“My whole family is in the medical field in someway,” Awah said.
“Being able to help people in their daily lives is intriguing to me. I always wanted to do something that allowed me to better someone’s life.”
