Two Stone Memorial High School students won a $1,000 scholarship for personal essays on addiction.
The scholarships were provided by the Cumberland Prevention Coalition. The nonprofit is focused on preventing the first use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in people aged 12 to 25.
LaChelle Neely, executive director at Cumberland Prevention Coalition, said that the scholarship winners, Brittani Harbin and Zoe Barnwell, wrote personal essays about their loved ones who were addicted to a substance.
“They’ve really thrived at school and have decided they want to go on after high school and pursue careers and go to college despite some of the situations that they’ve had,” Neely said.
Zoe is going to University of the South Sewanee and Brittani is going to the University of Alabama.
The scholarships received around five applicants and are the first the coalition has ever given away. Neely hopes that next year they will see more applicants and award more than two.
“Not all high school students have the same opportunities and not all of them have the same home lives. It’s very evident to us that for some kids, to get through high school is just a struggle because they’ve had to overcome so much as children just to be able to get to that point.”
Neely said Cumberland Prevention Coalition is funded through state and federal grants. The scholarships, however, were funded by local donations.
Cumberland Prevention Coalition meets monthly every third Monday at Cumberland Fellowship Church. During meetings, the coalition provides information on substance abuse, how to identify it and associated risks with each substance.