HAMPTON, Va. — A student at Hampton High School still had a couple years Monday before they went off to college but, thanks to a drawing, had tens of thousands of dollars to help them when that day comes.
"It feels good. I'm thankful," sophomore De'Andre Jefferies-Branch said after receiving the scholarship.
Jefferies-Branch didn't know he would be receiving the scholarship Monday but suspected something was up when he was called to the front of the high school auditorium. He still didn’t know exactly what was going on, though.
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The school brought him and some other students there for what the students were told was a presentation from CollegeBoard, an organization that can help them prepare for college. They were actually there, though, to watch Jefferies-Branch receive a $40,000 scholarship from the organization.
"I just want to bring glory to God, because he’s the one who got me this far," said Jefferies-Branch. "Trust in God because he’s really all you’ve got. On those lonely nights, you can just pray. Never doubt your situation because there could always be somebody worse than you, somebody in a better situation. So, you’ve got to be grateful for what you’ve got and just keep going every day."
College Board gives out two $40,000 scholarships a month to students across the country by drawing names of students who are eligible because they’ve completed certain steps on the organization’s website.
“I want to go to college and play football, and basketball, but I would love to go to college for agriculture and learn how to build houses and stuff," Jefferies-Branch explained.
Because he was a sophomore, the organization planned to sit the money aside for him until he graduated.
“We want every student to take these steps to own their future and to take these steps to explore and complete the process for life after high school. So, we reward their efforts for doing that," CollegeBoard State and District Partnerships Senior Director Valerie Keating said.
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Jefferies-Branch's mother, Georgia Branch, said the scholarship is a weight off her shoulders.
“It’s security for him. It’s never happened before. It’s not only security for him so he can get where he’s going it’s motivation for him as well. It’s also motivation for his siblings underneath him," Branch said.
“To be able to go to college and graduate and get a degree, that’s something that will make her proud, obviously, and something that will make me proud. [It will] help me start my family when I get older," said Jefferies-Branch.
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