BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Parkersburg High School soon-to-be senior Brenna Bond was riding in the car with her mom a couple of months ago when they heard a commercial on the radio about the West Virginia Scholar Program. Her mother urged her to apply.
“She was like, ‘You might as well take this opportunity. It could be an opportunity of a lifetime,’ and here we are,” Bond said Wednesday after learning she had indeed been chosen as the 19th West Virginia Scholar, winning a full-ride four-year scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Bond was one of 15 finalists. She said the other 14, all honored at a Wednesday luncheon at Wesleyan, were just as deserving.
“I was hearing about the other ones. Everybody is so amazing here. I was so ecstatic (when she heard her name), I said, ‘That’s me!”
Bond wants to be a pediatrician and she wants to stay in West Virginia.
“It’s such a beautiful state,” she said.
Bond said having college paid for is a major blessing.
“I still have a little sibling, we’re paying for my brother’s college, so having that gone and paid for is a blessing in itself. It’s a gift that was given to me. I’m super excited and super grateful for the opportunity,” Bond said.
The scholarship includes four years of tuition, fees, room and board valued at $160,000.
In addition to WVWC and MetroNews, the West Virginia Scholar Program is sponsored by Greer Industries, Friends of Coal, West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Farm Bureau and ZMM Architects & Engineers.