Burleson Collegiate grad receives TDWJC scholarship
May 23—When Burleson Collegiate High School senior Arabella Webb graduates she'll do so a step above most of her classmates.
Through dual credit courses available courtesy a partnership between Burleson ISD and Hill College, Webb already has her first degree, an associates of liberal arts, in hand.
"I received my degree from Hill College May 9 and I graduate high school on Friday," Webb said.
At Hill, Webb completed most of the core classes required by all college freshmen and sophomores.
"So I'll go into a four-year university as a freshman the first semester," Webb said. "Then I'll jump up to a junior and can start my major specific classes."
Webb recently received acceptance into the Honors College at the University of North Texas this fall and plans to major in biochemistry. Not wishing to stop there, Webb hopes to continue on to dental school to specialize in endo dentistry.
Webb, throughout her high school career, involved herself in volunteer and civic activities at Burleson Collegiate, North Pointe Church and the city of Burleson. She participated in her high school's gaming club for three years and art club for one in addition to other extracurricular activities.
Webb said a $750 scholarship she received from the Texas Democratic Women of Johnson County Saturday will help offset university costs.
Selection committee members considered the applicants' grades, extracurricular activities and other factors in deciding who to award the scholarship to, DWJC Secretary Donita Bowers said.
The application process also required submission of an essay explaining why it's important for 18-24 year old individuals to vote.
Webb titled her essay "The Impact of Politics by the People of Tomorrow."
"It is vital for citizens to vote on public policies as those policies can positively affect citizens first hand or can negatively impact then on a day-to-day basis," Webb's essay reads in part.
Webb elsewhere calls upon voters to educate themselves on the issues and to consider the common good and future generations in their decision making.
"As Americans, we should strive to make the world a better place than it was yesterday, to mitigate corruption in office, fight for the creation of safer environments and make the voters, especially the young demographic, feel heard and seen," Webb's essay concludes.
Webb thanked the DWJC members for choosing her and said she looks forward to starting at UNT this fall.
"As opposed scholarships with tens of thousands of applicants from around the nation, having a scholarship from the county where I live, and having an essay question that relates to my age group, makes this scholarship and award pretty personal and meaningful to me," Webb said.
DWJC President Sheryl Gray presented the scholarship award to Webb on Saturday joined by Webb's school counselor Cynthia Alley. Webb's father, Kevin Webb, attended as well. Webb's mother, Judy Webb was unable to attend as she was in Kentucky for Webb's brother's college graduation.
"One of the things that's very important to us as a group is to encourage young people to become involved in their communities and in politics," Bowers said. "But also to be informed about the issues and know who and what they're voting for."
Saturday marked the organization's first scholarship award, a tradition Bowers said they hope to continue in the years ahead.
Webb in her spare time enjoys walking her dog, bicycling, reading and listening to audiobooks, activities she said she hopes to enjoy this summer in addition to her job at a Fort Worth movie theater as she readies for college in the fall.
