Sunday, October 11, 2009

Highlighting yet another great DCSS student!

Chamblee teen a model of resilience
By Kyle Dominy
kdominy@neighbornewspapers.com

Chamblee High School junior Paisley Maxwell did not let misfortune stand in the way of her academic success.

Growing up in a single-parent household in Chamblee, Paisley lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 10 years old. Paisley went to live with her aunt, another single-parent household, and her three cousins.

“It didn’t really settle in until a year later,” Paisley said. “Even now it’s hard. If I do something great I wish she was here to celebrate with me, but I know she is watching me in heaven.”

This month, the 16-year-old had one of those great moments.

The Indiana-based Simon Youth Foundation named Paisley a Simon Scholar.

The scholarship program provides assistance to students who are underprivileged or face some sort of hardship.

“It was a very exciting moment,” Paisley said about when she was notified she won the scholarship. “I felt great.”

The award offers Paisley a $500 stipend in her junior and senior year in high school, a laptop computer, SAT prep courses and a $4,000 scholarship for her first four years of college.

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To read the rest of the article, visit Kyle's link at the Neighborhood Newspaper.

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