Charlotte student earns $280K scholarship to Duke

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte high school student won a distinguished scholarship to one of the top schools in the South, Duke University.

The girl from a hardworking family will now be able to attend her dream school she may never have been able to afford otherwise.

During a ceremony at Phillip O. Berry High in west Charlotte Thursday morning, Brea'Anna Clinkscales was cheered on by hundreds of her classmates as she hugged the man from Duke who awarded her the full-ride scholarship.

"I'm just overwhelmed,” Clinkscales said. “I can't believe I won and I'm really grateful and thankful for this opportunity.”

Clinkscales’ success as a student was so outstanding she managed to catch the eye of admissions administrators at Duke.

"I had to study really hard, take a lot of AP classes,” she said. “I'm president of three clubs. I had to volunteer outside school.”

After she got on Duke's list of candidates, Clinkscales had to impress the school during a weeklong interview.

Hundreds of other students from the Carolinas also made that final cut, but Clinkscales is just 1 of 11 students to win the scholarship worth $280,000.

"I'm just really, really grateful and thankful for this opportunity,” Clinkscales said. “I just think it's such a blessing."

The 18-year-old plans to major in biology and return to Charlotte as a pediatrician.

She wants to help kids because she overcame a lot herself.

"There's always financial struggles growing up, but I feel like for my family it's something that can help us in the next generation," Clinkscales said.

Clinkscales said she isn't focusing on her career as much as she's planning for her future family.

Duke lets the children of many alumni attend the school, so Clinkscales said whenever she has kids of her own, the scholarship will set the stage for their success, too.

"It's all about who follows in our footsteps and who comes next," Clinkscales said.

When it comes to finding the way to put a day like this to words, it took Clinkscales a moment to sum up the opportunity.

"I (am) just grateful, passionate, overwhelming,” she said. “I (am) just, amazing, that's what this is, amazing."

Clinkscales starts school in August.

She has to maintain a 3.2-grade point average to keep the scholarship, and remain involved in the community.

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