Kenna Salvatore, a junior at the school's first-ever recipient of scholarship from the Ben Carson Scholarship Fund.
The Carson Scholars was founded in 1994 by renowned Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson, who wanted kids to be motivated early to excel.
The Carson Scholarships are awarded to students in grades 4-11 who have academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. Students must have a 3.75 GPA and a significant community service record, says A. Roy Heron, a Virginia physician and the president of the D.C. Chapter of the Carson Scholars.
Winners receive a $1,000 scholarship. The foundation has awarded more than 5,000 scholarships over the last 18 years, Heron says. Earning a Carson Scholarship can often be a springboard to more awards, he added.
"Our goal is to have a scholar in every school in the country," Heron said.
Salvatore said she is unsure what she wants to study in college, but is interested in Chemistry. She said her grandmother admires Dr. Carson, so it is an honor to earn one of the Carson Scholar awards.
