Virginia Student Earns More Than $20,000 From 13 Scholarships To Pursue U.Va. Education

August 26, 1999 -- Christopher Spillman, a Virginia Beach resident who enters the University of Virginia this fall, has found that writing well pays off.

By writing essays and applying for scholarships, he has been awarded a total of $20,250 from 13 varied sources to be used for his higher education.

A 1999 graduate of Frank W. Cox High School who lives in a single-parent family, Spillman says he was determined to contribute substantially to his tuition, books, room and board at U.Va. Between November and May of his senior year in high school, he applied for 45 scholarships. For the applications he wrote essays describing himself, his need for financial assistance and his educational and career goals.

Despite such continuous efforts to secure scholarship support, he finished third in his class of 410 students with a grade-point average of 4.3. (The GPA was higher than 4.0 because his grades in advanced-placement (AP) courses carried extra weight.) He completed eight AP courses and enters U.Va. with 39 college credits.

His scholarship awards include:

• Wal-Mart Corp.'s Sam Walton Community Scholarship, $1,000
• National Merit Scholarship Corp., $2,000
• National Helicopter Association, $1,000
• Tidewater Builders Association, $7,000
• American Logistics Association, $1,000
  Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, $2,000
• Commonwealth of Virginia Robert C. Byrd Scholarship, $1,500
• All Saints Episcopal Church, $1,750
• Frank W. Cox High School PTA, $500
• Great Neck Middle School PTA, $500
  Kempsville High School Norman L. Fields Memorial Scholarship, $1,000
• Virginia Beach Council of PTAs, $500

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Spillman will enter U.Va., where he plans to major in government and foreign affairs.

For more information, Christopher Spillman can be reached on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 26-27, at (757) 496-8801. Starting Saturday, Aug. 28, his number at U.Va. will be (804) 243-1370. He can also be reached via e-mail at ces7a@virginia.edu.

Contact: Ida Lee Wootten, (804) 924-6857

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please contact University News Services at (804) 924-7116. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.
SOURCE: U.Va. News Services

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