A Look at BigFuture Pays Off for Mountain View Student
Elias Copeland is surprised with $40,000 scholarship in Spanish class.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Some days are diamonds, some days are stone. So sang John Denver long before Mountain View High School student Elias Copeland was a glint in his parents’ eyes.
Tuesday proved a diamond day for Copeland, who was selected by the College Board to receive a $40,000 scholarship to attend college.
Copeland qualified for the award by completing certain tasks at the BigFuture website. BigFuture is run by the College Board, and it helps students discover careers they’re interested in, find colleges, and learn about how to pay for college. As students complete tasks — such as creating career, college, and scholarship lists — they earn chances to be entered in a drawing for scholarship money.
Every month, two $40,000 scholarships and hundreds of $500 scholarships are awarded to students across the country to use at two- or four-year institutions.
His parents were in attendance. When asked if their son used BigFuture at their bidding, they replied that, as he so often does, Elias had taken it upon himself to do the work.
The scholarship does not require a minimum GPA, an essay, or exam score. However, students motivated to stick with the program increase their chances of being successful.
Elias is active on the swim team at Mountain View, participates in jazz band, and is pursuing a full IB diploma.
Though he does not yet know where he would like to attend school after Mountain View, he has his sights set on the engineering field.
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