Fountain Lake graduate Alexa Donley will begin at the University of Central Arkansas in the fall with several prestigious scholarships totaling more than $20,000 in rewards every year.
The recent graduate of Fountain Lake Charter High School finished as the salutatorian of her class with a 4.1 grade-point average. She is the daughter of Albert and Angela Donley.
Donley found success in the Environmental and Spatial Technologies program, but she plans to major in Psychology in Conway. She was drawn to UCA for its doctoral degree program in Counseling Psychology.
"I am more passionate about psychology," Donley said. "I get really frustrated with technology. I like both of them, but I think my calling is more for psychology, because I want to be a therapist."
The EAST Initiative presented Donley with the first place award in its inaugural overall project competition at the 2016 EAST Conference in March. Students submitted projects from more than 200 EAST programs.
The winning submission was based on her project, the Fulfill mobile application, for people recovering from eating disorders. The same app earned Donley second place in the 4th District Congressional App Challenge sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-District 4, a Fountain Lake alumnus.
Donley learned in January she would receive a Distinguished Scholarship, which provides $8,500 per year. It is the most significant financial award presented by the university to new, in-state freshmen.
UCA applicants do not fill out separate applications for academic scholarships. Scholarship recipients must graduate high school with at least a 3.25 GPA.
An ACT score of 31-36 is required for the Distinguished Scholarship. Donley scored 34.
A 3.25 GPA is required to renew the scholarship each year. First-time recipients must enroll in at least 27 credit hours their freshman year. They must earn at least 30 credits the following three years.
"It's a really nice campus," Donley said. "The food is really diverse, the dorms are cool and I have already met my roommate. It just seems like an overall good campus."
Donley was informed in April she will also receive the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship from the state. The scholarship awards $10,000 per year for tuition, mandatory fees, room and board.
Governor's Scholars must earn at least a 32 on the ACT and graduate with a 3.5 GPA or greater. As many as 375 Governor's Distinguished Scholarships can be awarded if funding allows. Requirements for renewal are the same as the UCA scholarship.
The Carolyn Mann EAST Initiative Scholarship is one of two awards endowed through the estate of Beulah C. Mann, who established the funds in memory of her daughter, Carolyn, a 1958 UCA graduate. The scholarship will provide $500 to Donley each semester.
Donley said she will miss the access to the technology she used in the EAST program at Fountain Lake.
"I love it," Donley said. "I actually got to be in EAST four periods out of my day this semester."
A total of 78 entering freshmen received the scholarship for the 2015-16 school year. Preference is given to Arkansas residents who participated in a high school EAST program and exhibit "an entrepreneurial spirit."
Donley spent time in EAST working on Fulfill and a number of other projects. She said her facilitator, Melody Gilleran, guided her through the processes and was a helpful source of information for resources.
"I like that I can do what I'm passionate about," Donley said. "Instead of having some assignment, I can actually do what I want to do and learn something."
A recommendation letter from an EAST facilitator was required for consideration.
Fulfill is designed to track eating habits without displaying numbers. It uses dials, such as those in a vehicle heads-up display, instead of numbers to track nutrient goals set by physicians. She said the design is meant to help patients view food as fuel.
Donley had hoped to make the app available for iOS systems from the Apple Store by the end of the summer, but she was recently delayed due to a complication. She is working to fix the issue, but she may set up a website first instead.
The website would function the same as the app would have. Donley is unsure of when either project could be completed, but proceeds from the website could allow her to proceed with the app.
Donley was one of 22 graduates from this year's class to receive scholarships from the Fountain Lake Alumni Association. She received a $1,000 Fountain Lake Alumni scholarship.
Local on 05/25/2016