Two GHS students receive scholarships
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on May 10, 2006 1:48 PM
Two Goldsboro High School students are among 19 high school seniors from eastern North Carolina who have been awarded scholarship money for excellence in academics and community service.
Adina Black and LaDonna King will each receive $1,000 in scholarship money from Ronald McDonald House Children's Charities. They will be recognized during an awards luncheon in Raleigh on Thursday.
The two students have already made plans to further their education following graduation from high school this spring.
Ms. King, ranked eighth in her class of 150, has plans to attend the University of North Carolina to pursue a degree in nursing. She has already spent summers volunteering as a candy striper at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Guidance counselor Mary Pitt called LaDonna "one of the most motivated, studious, well-mannered and thoughtful students I have met in my 29 years as an educator."
"I am a great self-motivator who never stops until I reach my goal," Ms. King said. "I will not stop until the world has been changed by my accomplishments."
Ms. Black also has aspirations to work in the health care profession, having experienced firsthand the importance of such work.
At the age of 14, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during a routine doctor's visit. She is now cancer-free. She plans to pursue a degree in environmental health science or public health, as a stepping stone to a career in epidemiology.
"Being blessed in my situation makes me feel obligated to help those in need," she said. "If I'm not the one to find the cure, I at least would like to say I contributed."
Ranked ninth in her class, Ms. Pitt called Ms. Black a "well-rounded and grounded individual who serves her community. She volunteers with the Building Better Teens Mentoring Program, Wayne County Public Library, Boys and Girls Club, and Wayne County Share Project."