Middle-schooler awarded special college scholarship

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  • Isabelle Gladson (left) listens as Laura Misner of the College Foundation of North Carolina presents her with the Victor E. Bell Jr. Scholarship. Photo by Samantha Sinclair
    Isabelle Gladson (left) listens as Laura Misner of the College Foundation of North Carolina presents her with the Victor E. Bell Jr. Scholarship. Photo by Samantha Sinclair
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    Ranger – Isabelle Gladson, a seventh-grade student at Ranger Elementary/Middle School, was named one of 15 recipients across the state of the Victor E. Bell Jr. Scholarship. She is the first student from Cherokee County to receive the honor.
    The scholarship, offered by the College Foundation of North Carolina, awards students $2,000 each year up to a maximum $20,000. For more than 10 years, the scholarship has been given to high-potential seventh-grade students to encourage and assist them in pursuing a higher education.
    Gladson was surprised with the announcement at the school’s annual White Christmas performance.
    “I was amazed,” she said. “It means that I’ll be able to have more opportunities.”
    Gladson was nominated for the scholarship by the school’s counselor, Tristan Hamby. The foundation’s management holds a random drawing to select students in each region of the state for the scholarship. The number of students selected is dependent on the nominations and funds. Typically, 10 students are selected each year.
    To be eligible, students must be in seventh grade, a resident of North Carolina, have A or B grades in core courses and demonstrate financial need. They must maintain good grades to receive the scholarship, and funds may only be used at a college within the state.
    Gladson would like to become a physical therapist at a U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital someday. She does not know where she would like to go to college, but many family members went to Western Carolina University.
    Gladson plays softball and is in the school’s Beta Club. She is the daughter of Brent and Leigh Anne Gladson. One of her grandmothers, Lisa Dickey, is a first-grade teacher’s assistant at Ranger.
    “She deserves it,” Dickey said. “She’s a hard worker, very consistent.”
    Gladson’s other grandmother, Wanda Gladson, is a retired teacher, while her aunt, Monica Keasler, is a teacher.