By: Dionna Shepherd, Editor-in-Chief, The Comet Pride Online
Niambé James, a senior at Clayton High, is the recipient of the Goodnight Scholarship at NC State University. The scholarship is for students who are majoring in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and covers $20,000 for up to four years. Niambé is majoring in Sustainable Materialism Technology which is a STEM field. Applicants qualify by having at least a 4.8 GPA, being in the top 2 percent of his or her class, and having a certain score on the SAT and the ACT.
According to Niambé she stood out from the other applicants because she is passionate about the environment and she is all about making the world a better place. She says that she is fascinated with finding alternatives to plastic and that was the emphasis in her essay and in her interview.
Niambé said she was attracted to the scholarship for several reasons. She said, “Well, obviously it’s a full ride but also the website emphasized how much they want to invest in you and they want to develop you into a leader.” She explained that someone like herself who majors in Sustainable Materialism Technology is going to have to take charge because few people are going into the field and not many people care about the environment.
Niambé started the application process online and the organization selected 100 applicants to interview. She said that during and after the interview she was not feeling confident. Prepared for some questions, Niambé said others caught her by surprise. While she enjoys the environment and STEM, Niambé knows that she can make a difference in this world.
The people who encouraged her to pursue this scholarship began with Grade 12 Counselor Elizabeth Jenks who sent out the initial email saying that the Goodnight Scholarship representatives were coming to Clayton High School. She said her mom, dad, sister and friends fully supported her in the application process. She said they reminded her to not let this good opportunity pass her by.
