Every year, the Eagle Select Scholarship program at Central Methodist University makes a student’s dream of attending the school come true with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. This fall’s winner, Abigail Michael, admits she was completely surprised when she was presented with the award.
“My initial reaction was complete shock,” said Michael, who found out about her win last week when members of the CMU admissions team paid a visit to her school to make the announcement in front of a full assembly of students. “I had no idea they were going to give it to me [in person]. I just thought I was going to get an email.”
A senior at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Michael became the Eagle Select winner after outshining the competition in both the essay contest and interview rounds. And now that she’s been named the scholarship winner, she has one less thing to worry about as she prepares for college next year.
“What it means to me is that I will not have to worry about paying for school,” she said. “I will be able to get a great education without worrying about going into debt.”
Eagle Select is designed to reward hard-working students who exhibit high academic achievement, community service, co-curricular involvement, and leadership. As a member of the tennis team and choir at Notre Dame, as well as captain of the robotics team and part of the students for life club, Michael has proven herself as just the kind of involved leader that Central looks for in an Eagle Select winner.
“The Eagle Select Scholarship is our way of investing in the very best emerging talent. The energy and talent these students bring to their academic and co-curricular involvement set them apart as true leaders,” said Dr. Joe Parisi, CMU vice president for enrollment management. “Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau has a culture of producing energy, success, and outstanding individuals. Kudos to their administration, faculty and staff.
“This year’s competition was one of the best we’ve had, but our fall winner Abigail Michael is one of those leaders that has a strong commitment to excellence in all that she does. We could not be more pleased to bring her talents to CMU!”
At Central, Michael plans to study secondary math education. She hopes to go on to earn a master’s degree and one day teach calculus to high school students.