By Mary Eber
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ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — Northeast High School seniors, in Anne Arundel County, thought Monday morning’s assembly was for them to learn about the college scholarship tool BigFuture, which they did, but the main purpose was to announce a $40,000 scholarship for one lucky senior.
That senior was Zhane Wiggins, and she was already on stage along with her fellow cheerleaders when the news that she was awarded $40,000 was announced.
BigFuture rewards Anne Arundel County student:
They kicked off the assembly with a cheer, and then the College Board of Maryland’s State and Strategic Partnerships Director, Joi Jones, gave a presentation about BigFuture. She shared how it’s a tool students can use to explore careers, plan for college, and search for scholarships.
Jones went on to tell seniors in the crowd that since 2019, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarships have been given away to students across the country.
In fact, students can earn entries to win $500 and $40,000 scholarships just by making an account and using the site, BigFuture.
“You won a $40,000 scholarship”
Jones said $500 scholarships had already gone to eight students in Anne Arundel County, but she said they’ve never had a winner from Northeast High School, until Monday.
“Is Zhane Wiggins, I think she’s on the stage, right? Jones asked. “Zhane, why don’t you walk up and join us?”
“She said my name and I was like, like I just completely froze,” Wiggins told WJZ after the assembly.
Jones announced, “Unfortunately, I’m not going to tell you, you won $500. You did not win $500. You won a $40,000 scholarship from BigFuture.”
Overjoyed mother:
The crowd erupted in cheers, and teens started chanting, “MVP, MVP, MVP!”
The most shocked in the crowd was Wiggins’ mom, Lakeshia Major, who, just like her daughter, had no clue this announcement was coming. She could be seen wiping tears away from her eyes after the news was shared.
“The audience heard me, I was like *gasps*, and then they said the amount,” said Major. “I just said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ I started crying.”
Major was asked to come to the high school to provide feedback on the cheerleading program. She was told she’d be joined by other cheer parents, and while she was there, she could also attend the assembly to see her daughter perform.
By using BigFuture, Wiggins gained entries for the lottery to win scholarships in the monthly drawings. She had recently used the site to build a scholarship list after her teacher, Ms. Parker, showed her students during class.
“I was thinking that we have to start applying for scholarships,” Major said. “It’s senior year, we need to start looking at them. [I] didn’t know Ms. Parker was doing it for us. Much easier, but definitely, definitely amazing. What a blessing.”
“I was so shocked”
When Wiggins heard her name, she said she just froze. “I was so shocked, I was not expecting it at all,” she said.
She’s thinking about studying to become a physical therapist.
“It goes to show how much hard work pays off for students,” said Jones. “She did what she was supposed to do and she got the reward as a result.”
BigFuture has $4 billion worth of scholarships on the platform, along with their lottery scholarship drawings.
Any high school sophomore, junior or senior is eligible to win scholarship money through BigFuture during monthly drawings just for using the platform. You can learn more about BigFuture and start using it by visiting their website.
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Kevin Harrington7-9473
