The inaugural CSRA Scholars event honored 28 top-performing high school juniors from Richmond and Columbia County public schools among 32 nominees for their dedication, hard work, and determination, according to an April 8 announcement.
The event was held in the Dr. Roscoe Williams Ballroom at Augusta University’s Jaguar Student Activities Center. It brought together campus and local school leaders with the scholars for a dinner and celebration that highlighted Augusta University’s academic and extracurricular offerings. A panel of current students shared insights on academic programs, time management skills, class projects, research opportunities, and military-related options through ROTC.
Augusta University President Russell T. Keen said that the achievements of these scholars reflect not only their academic ability but also their readiness to succeed in higher education. He said local students are attracted to the university for its health sciences, education, business, arts and sciences programs as well as supportive faculty.
Amy Smith, acting vice president of Enrollment and Student Affairs at Augusta University, addressed the scholars about choosing a college: “Scholars, you will soon be faced with a really important choice, and that’s choosing a college,” Smith said. “It’s important that you choose a place that sees your potential as clearly as you do, and Augusta University is one of those places. A community that invests in our scholars, nurtures ambition and opens doors to the opportunities that you may not have imagined. We’re committed to helping students especially those from our local area not only be successful but really thrive and flourish.”
Smith encouraged students to finish strong during their final year of high school by building solid habits and relationships while demonstrating leadership qualities.
Kristie Johnson, director of Institutional Access, Success and Belonging at Augusta University—which organized the event with support from other university offices—said: “The CSRA Scholars event is AU’s opportunity to remind our local high-achieving high school students that AU is indeed a destination of choice,” Johnson said. “We hope their interactions with current Jags enrolled in accelerated/selective programs will ultimately encourage them to enroll here.”
Students like Amiyah Watson from Westside High School expressed appreciation for being recognized alongside her mother: “Being recognized definitely feels good… Events like this are important because you get to see how your hard work pays off in the long run because sometimes you feel as if you’re doing it for no reason.” Deven Person from A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School noted how valuable it was learning about different professional fields available through Augusta University: “Through the CSRA Scholars event AU is really giving us all different options… ways we can pursue our fields of interest.” Karina Zucco from Lakeside High School described how her early interest in computer science motivated her studies: “I’ve been interested in computer science… every night after I got home I would research how to code…”
While these juniors are still preparing for college applications next year this first-ever CSRA Scholars event started conversations about future possibilities at Augusta University.
