Woodrow Wilson senior Olivia Ortegon has never been to the East Coast. And, since she will be leaving home this fall to attend college at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., she was looking forward to an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., as a chance to check things out.
Her trip, however, is not the typical campus visit that so many seniors make this time of year. Olivia will be traveling to the nation’s Capital with the four other Texas winners of the Horatio Alger National Scholar Award. The Alger Award is given annually to high school seniors who have succeeded scholastically despite adversity. The honor includes the four day trip and a $5000 scholarship. Olivia was chosen as a winner for her essay entitled, “I Have Followed Many Paths.” In it, she describes all the choices, good and bad, which have shaped her life. In what she describes as her “old path,” Olivia recounts that she “began terrible habits. I drank, smoked, skipped school…”. In recent years, however, Olivia has found a new, more rewarding path. “I have found that treasure chest,” she writes. “It is full of opportunity, all I have to do is study.”
Olivia’s trip to Washington, D.C., will consist of four event-filled days including tours of the Capital, The White House, and other landmarks. “We will get to meet Congressmen and Senators,” says Olivia. When asked if she was excited about meeting some of the country’s top elected officials, Olivia laughed. “I’m not very interested in politics – I’m too much of a hippie for that!” Since she will be moving to the area in September, Olivia is more concerned with the weather. “I hear it’s beautiful there in the springtime,” she says. “But I need to figure out how bad it will be in the winter!” Blizzards and ice will surely not hinder this energetic young woman who has already weathered many storms in her life.
