BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — A sold-out Hillbilly Breakfast and strong community support translated into more opportunities for Martin County graduates this year.

Because of the event’s success in May, the Kiwanis Club awarded three $1,000 scholarships instead of its usual two, helping Martin County High School graduating seniors Maleah Jarrell, Hallee Robinson and Abigail Osborne take the next step toward their futures.

The scholarship recipients were recognized and spoke about their plans during the Kiwanis Club luncheon Thursday in Inez.

Kiwanis President Melissa Phelps said choosing the winners was no easy task.

“The applications were impressive,” Phelps told the graduates. “You all had good community service, which is important to us because we are a community service organization. All of you have faced some kind of adversity in your high school career and have overcome it. You work and give back to your community. All of you excelled in different areas at the school and we were just really impressed. We’re really proud of you.”

Maleah Jarrell

Jarrell, daughter of Henry and Mallory Jarrell, said her plans changed after she submitted her scholarship application. At the time, she expected to attend Big Sandy Community & Technical College. Instead, she will enroll this fall at the University of Pikeville.

“This will help me out a lot,” Jarrell said of the scholarship. “It would put me at paying almost zero for the year.”

For Jarrell, earning a college degree is about more than her own future. Her brother has a chromosome disorder and she expects to become his primary caretaker.

“So it’s really good for me to go to college and get a stable job—to give him a stable schedule—because he probably won’t be able to work,” she said.

Jarrell said watching her father experience layoffs in the coal industry reinforced the importance of pursuing a stable career.

“I’ve seen him have really stable jobs and then it goes away,” she said. “I’m ready to get a stable job where I don’t have to worry about that.”

A member of the Upward Bound program since her freshman year, Jarrell has spent four years receiving year-round support designed to prepare students for college and careers. The federally funded program primarily serves students from low-income families, first-generation college students and those facing barriers to higher education.

Through Upward Bound, Jarrell received academic tutoring and enrichment, college and career counseling, assistance with admissions and financial aid applications, and ACT/SAT preparation. She also spent summers living on UPIKE’s campus through the program’s residential component, gaining firsthand experience with college life.

This year, Upward Bound paid for two college courses.

“I’m getting some basic general education out of the way,” Jarrell said.

She is also participating in a work-study program at the YMCA in Pikeville.

“It’s hard but it’s fun,” Jarrell said. “Upward Bound is a good program. I recommend it. It’s for low-income, and it really does help. It gave me a lot of opportunities, and it gave a lot of opportunities to other people.”

Among those opportunities was a trip to Universal Orlando during her first year in the program.

“It was free; they paid for everything,” Jarrell said. “They offer us laptops, like MacBooks and calculators. Before the ACT changed to the SAT, they paid for four tests, one each year, and gave us $200 for a class to get our ACT score up.”

Jarrell plans to become a high school social studies teacher.

“I have a lot of dual-credit through school,” she said. “It’s still going to take a little bit, but I’m excited.”

Hallee Robinson

For Robinson, the daughter of Jacob and Christy Robinson, the scholarship represents relief from both medical and financial challenges her family has faced.

“I’ve struggled with epilepsy my whole life,” Robinson said. “And having my sister in college too has been a lot of financial burden on my family.”

She plans to attend Big Sandy Community & Technical College to pursue a nursing degree and said the scholarship will help cover those expenses.

Robinson already has a head start on her healthcare career. She earned certification as a nursing assistant through the Martin County Area Technology Center and is currently taking summer classes at BSCTC.

Her inspiration comes from close to home.

Robinson said her mother, a nurse, influenced her decision to enter the profession.

“And I know, from taking CNA classes, I do like helping people a lot in that environment,” she said.

Abigail Osborne

Osborne, daughter of Donnie and Jessica Osborne, will attend the University of Kentucky this fall, where she plans to study civil engineering.

“I did manage to get a full ride to UK,” Osborne said.

Even with tuition covered, she said the Kiwanis scholarship will help address challenges many students never have to consider.

“Since I do have a physical disability that will make it very hard on campus, this scholarship will help make it more accessible to me—buy me a scooter,” Osborne said. “It will also help me pay for books.”

Osborne suffers from Bertolotti syndrome, a condition involving a congenital abnormality in the lower spine that creates what she described as a “pseudo-joint.”

“It causes me a lot of pain in my back and will send pain down through my legs,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Osborne said she is looking forward to beginning her engineering studies this fall.