It’s that time of year again. Seniors are scrambling to apply for scholarships as they prepare for the next step in their education. For Pocahontas County High School senior Fredricah Gardner, that scramble paid off. Gardner is the first student from PCHS to receive a $20,000 scholarship from Dell Computers. The money isn’t 100 percent free, though. “I have to keep up with the Dell Scholars Ambassadors,” she said. “They’re kind of like Upward Bound apparently, and they are going to call me and keep up with me. I have to finish a biographical essay to tell them about myself and what I want to do. They’ll disperse that $20,000 over my four years accordingly.” As part of the scholarship, Gardner will receive a Dell laptop, which will come in handy as she pursues a mechanical engineering degree at West Virginia University. While she has her degree picked out, Gardner is still unsure what she plans to do after she earns it. “I really like to work with machines, like in my welding class,” she said. “I like to do stuff with that, so maybe designing stuff. I want to go in the Peace Corps too, so we’ll see.” Gardner is a member of SkillsUSA, FBLA, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Spanish Club, FCA, student government and the track and field team. This summer, Gardner will represent PCHS in the welding sculpture category at the National SkillsUSA competition, in Kansas City, Missouri. Gardner wowed judges at the state competition with her sculpture “Spike,” a 3-D dragon. Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com
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