Surprise You're In! China Green, Friendship Collegiate Senior, Awarded Full Scholarship

China Green, Friendship Collegiate Senior, Awarded Full Scholarship

STORY BY NEKAIYA WILSON, FNN EDITOR, ALUMNI BUREAU

APRIL 22, 2014.  On March 25, 2014, senior China Green, class of 2014 was sitting in her 3rd period class, at Friendship Collegiate Academy. She was astounded by the appearance of Steven Knapp, president of George Washington University, accompanied by news press, the GW mascot and others. In front of her entire class, China was offered the $200,000 Stephen Joel Trachtenberg scholarship— a full ride to George Washington University, including tuition, books, room and board for four years.

China, at a loss for words, was totally shocked when her family came into the room. Tears of joy poured down her face. “I was overwhelmed, I felt like I hit the lottery” said China’s dad. China will now be able to go to school without having to put such a financial burden on her parents. China is a really dedicated and motivated student, who studied philosophy and mandarin at Duke University last summer.

Donald Hense, chairman of the Friendship Collegiate Academy and proud advocate for his students, thanked president Knapp for the offer and for his presence. He had to have felt proud by the fact that one of his very own students had the potential to receive such a tremendous reward being as though most students cannot afford to attend schools because of financial mishaps.“Your zip code should not be the determination of your future,” stated Mr. Hense.

“I’m really excited, hard work pays off! It’s not about getting a 4.0 GPA, it’s about what you do outside of academics that counts. My main focus is to further the family legacy by receiving a college degree,” said China.

FNN Alumni Editor, Nekaiya Wilson is a 2012 graduate of The Academies of Anacostia, a former Friendship partner school.