Lakeside grad receives memorial scholarship

Dulaney Doro, a Hot Springs native and graduate of Lakeside High School, recently received the Mary Harris scholarship.

According to a news release, Mary Harris taught all levels of math at Lakeside for years. Harris was a Golden Sister in Alpha Delta Kappa until her death last year. Her son, Michael, decided to establish a memorial scholarship this year in his mother's name through her longtime teacher organization.

"Mary had been a charter member of AR Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary international organization of women educators which focuses on excellence in education, altruism, equity, and world understanding," the release said. "Many former students and friends of the family including Alpha Delta Kappa Sisters from her chapter contributed to honor her memory with a $1,000 scholarship to a Lakeside High School senior planning on majoring in education at college."

Doro said she feels she was selected for the scholarship because of her letter to the scholarship committee.

"Honestly, I think it was the letter. I've been told that I'm very persuasive and I'm just a good writer. So I use everything that my past English teachers have told me, and I wrote a really good letter about myself to the people in charge of determining the scholarship winner," Doro said.

"The Mary Harris Memorial Scholarship would be an honor to receive. I filled out this application knowing that I do not have the recommended ACT score of a 23 or above. I completely understand if there is another candidate that better qualifies for this scholarship; however, there is no one else who would put this scholarship to better use than I," she said in her letter. "I know in my bones that I am going to be an amazing educator. This scholarship would allow not only myself but my parents help with furthering my academic career. With or without this scholarship, I will still be a teacher. But with this scholarship, I will be a teacher who was able to save a thousand dollars on the costs of tuition."

Doro's father's side of the family is mostly educators and was one of two reasons she decided to go into the education field.

"My grandfather was a principal, superintendent, he taught. My grandmother, who unfortunately passed away in the summer, was a teacher as well; she taught her entire life. My step-grandmother is a teacher. All of my family on my father's side in some way is related to the education field, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps," Doro said.

The second reason she decided to go into education was she watched a Netflix movie called "The Trail of the Chicago 7," which was about the Vietnam War in detail, which also helped her decide on teaching United States history.

"There were things that I had never learned, and I was so hurt that our curriculum had just glossed over everything. I said, 'I need to be a teacher in order to teach students what had actually happened,'" Doro said.

Doro said she credits her parents and her teachers for all her success. "Many of my teachers were so supportive, and they just gave me this thirst for knowledge. I was so excited, and I can credit them to everything."

Doro attends Wilmington University in Delaware. Her family is in the racing horse industry, which is why they moved to Arkansas.

"My dad had gotten a job offer out in Delaware, and we decided to come back here," Doro said.

Doro plans to have a Bachelor of Science in Social Science Education when she graduates and will seek a job as a teacher to gain classroom experience.

"I give all my respect and thanks to Mrs. Mary Harris and the entire scholarship committee, Rachel Shankles and Wendy Burfeind. Just a big thanks to all of them," Doro said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been corrected since its original publication to correct the spelling of Doro's last name.

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