Cartersville High Graduate an Emory Scholar

It’s been a big year for Cartersville High School student Jessica Pryor. Her upcoming graduation ceremony is a huge stepping stone for the student who maintained a 4.0 GPA, as it marks the beginning of her career as an Emory University student in the fall.

Pryor was recently awarded the title of Emory Scholar, which is a prestigious and highly competitive scholarship program. As an Emory Scholar, Pryor’s entire first four years of tuition as well as her student housing are completely covered.  

Pryor, who has spent her entire senior year as a joint-enrollment student with Kennesaw State University, is very honored and excited.

“This year at Kennesaw State I’ve taken a lot of classes, including two French courses, Government and Economics and Pre-Calculus. It was different from my Cartersville experience for sure,” said Pryor. “When I move to Emory in the fall I want to study either neuroscience and biology or just regular biology with a pre-med concentration. Eventually I will go on to medical school, but I’m still a little undecided as to what I’ll be doing exactly.”  

Pryor had to have an outstanding academic record when she applied for the Emory Scholars program in the fall. The application process was lengthy, consisting of at least three essays. As the school year progressed, Pryor was informed that she was a finalist.

She was invited to a three-day weekend event at Emory University where she underwent several interviews and partook in particular activities planned for all 50 finalists.

Just days after the weekend was over, Emory contacted Pryor and informed her that she was one of the students who had won a full ride to the university.

“Besides covering tuition fees and housing, being an Emory Scholar entitles me to several perks and opportunities around campus,” said Pryor. “The campus is lovely and I’ve already made some friends there. I’m really excited and can’t wait for school to start in the fall.”

Pryor enjoyed her time as a student at Cartersville High School.

“I kind of missed being here my senior year,” said Pryor. “Being jointly enrolled kept me away, but I came back for some band events and things like that.”

It’s a huge honor to be accepted as a Emory Scholar and Pryor’s high school, family and friends are all very proud of her.

“My parents are especially excited for me,” said Pryor. “Not just about the full ride part. I’m going to be close by and that’s important.”

Jessica has certainly made Cartersville High School and her entire community proud. Congratulations to her and her family from the crew at Cartersville Patch.