An anxious mother and all of A-lunch patiently waited for the special student to come through the doors. When senior Juhaina Aarada finally walked in, a representative from Maryville held up a huge check with an even bigger dollar amount on it. Aarada had no idea that she would be receiving her scholarship let alone with a huge crowd and an organized surprise.

Aarada won a four-year tuition scholarship at Maryville University. The full-tuition trustee scholarship was for $104,280.

In the past, Ms. Gerringer and the college representative have ambushed the student in their classroom. This time, the school took advantage the surprising moment coming during A-Lunch to give Juhaina the crowd she deserves.

“I gave mom a call and told her Juhaina wasn’t in trouble but she needs to come up to the school for a surprise. Mom didn’t know for sure but I left her to her guesses,” Ms. Gerringer said.

Juhaina’s mother watched teary eyed at her daughter’s many years of hard work pay off.

“I am very proud, honored, and surprised,” Juhaina’s mother Olah said. “She is a very dedicated student, all these years and hard work paid off.”

Maryville representative Chinyere Turner gave out her very first scholarship to Aarada.

“It’s an amazing job to see the students hard work pay off,” Turner said. “It was rewarding enough to see her faceand get to celebrate her success.”

The Maryville applications open in July. It’s best to apply earlier rather than later to sort out housing but thanks to a rolling admissions process any student can apply at any time.

A big part of the process was the essay. Juhaina started writing her essay in December and the topic she chose was diversity.

“I just poured my heart into that essay. I basically just said these are the clubs I’m in, these are the activities I like to do, and then I got an interview from that essay,” Juhaina said.

One of the things she especially admires about Maryville is that there is an office of diversity and inclusion, and what they work towards as a college.

“That’s something I really like that about Maryville, is how much they emphasize on inclusion and everybody coming together as a student body,” Juhaina said.

The interview was an entire day activity, including a tour of the campus, which Juaina fell in love with, and then a 30-minute conversation style interview.

“I was just being myself,” Juhaina said.

Juhaina hopes to get her bachelor’s in biology, and from there go to Physicians Assistant (PA) school.

Being chosen for this scholarship was no easy feat. She had to consistently work hard all four years. A huge part of this has been in her involvement in clubs, including National Honors Society (NHS) and Drama Club. She stated that it not only helped build her resume but help her grow as a person.

“So when you go into that interview, you can show them this is what I’ve done, but here’s how it’s helped me to become a better person, and to be able to achieve things like this,” Juhaina said.

Juhaina is a go getter; If she sees something she wants to work for, she won’t let anything get in her way. She also has a warm, kind personality.

“I really stand by treating others how you would want to be treated,” Juhaina said.

It was a huge surprise especially since she originally applied for the multicultural scholarship, which is 75 percent paid for and was awarded the trustee which is fully paid. She at most expected just an email from Maryville.

“This really means peace of mind, a weight off my shoulders to be able to know okay this is paid for, and I just have to focus on being a good student,” Juhaina said.

Scholarships aren’t something that comes everyday. Students who devote their time and their efforts are awarded the scholarships.