The Advocate was recently made aware of a young lady from Calvin who was named as the Patriot Auto Group and McAlester News Capital’s 2023 Student of the Year and winner of a 2023 Jeep Renegade Latitude 4x4 valued at $34,060. She was beyond belief when she received the news and was so grateful for this honor.

This lovely young lady is Nariah Bump, a 17-yearold 2023 graduate and Valedictorian of Calvin High School. She is pictured above standing by her beautiful vehicle outside her place of employment, Home Hardware, in Holdenville. Nariah shared that her family shares a single car that recently had a tire break off an axle. Then the car they borrowed broke down while she was on the way to work. This new vehicle will take a financial load off the family and will allow her to be able to travel to college without worry.

Nariah told us that she entered the three-phase challenge: the top 10 essay, the top 6 essay and an essay video. Her essay video was required for Student of the Year finalists in which she shared that her mother, who is a military veteran, is who motivates her to excel.

Nariah graduated early with a 4.08 GPA and plans to attend Murray State College’s Physical Therapy assisting program (PTA). She then plans to pursue her doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Below is the Finalist Essay she submitted in the final phase of the challenge:

Nariah Bump Murray State College is where my sights are set to go to college. Even though I will be attending on a fishing scholarship, I see Murray State as the best fit that lines up with my professional goals. I have already been working towards the next step of my academic goals outside of high school, and these will set me up for my professional goals. One of my professional goals is to be able to have a career after college. Not just working… a career! Murray State would be well suited for me because they have a physical therapy assisting (PTA) program. After injuries from high school sports, I am grateful and appreciative for the people in this career path. I could graduate with a PTA license and go straight into a career path! Because I have taken concurrent classes, when I start my freshman year, I will have some basics out of the way, which will make obtaining the license an easier process.

While graduating high school a year early is a major accomplishment, I just turned 17. A set back to this is that when I finish at Murray State and go into the workforce at 19, employers may find my age troublesome. Because of this, my other primary goal in college is to reach out and intern! An internship would help me have better chances of getting into the program and have a better insight about the profession, despite my young age. It will help employers see me fit for their practice and want to hire me due to having experience and familiarity. With the links at Murray through the program, professor and location I will have a good report and recommendation for internships.

I want to use my license in physical therapy to help fund me through a bachelors in Kinesiology, this will get me familiar and knowledgeable on anatomy, human rehabilitation and injuring taping. Which is important for dealing with athletes. It is also a major step in moving forward to get my DPT (doctorate in physical therapy), where I will specialize in sports rehabilitation. This will allow me to open my own orthopedics practice.

I like my outlook because I can have a set job and income when majoring and I will have a stable career for life, and for my family in the future. I will enjoy working in this profession, because I could make it in a trade career or in the military, but college is suitable for me and what I want. My career choice will also allow me to give back to the community. I can help athletes from anywhere around get back into their sport which will in turn give back to many schools, colleges, teams and communities. I hope to look into a Veterans Affairs (VA) only orthopedic practice to get more accessible help out those who served and gave their all for us. A successful community consists of good and capable people. If I can help people return to their full capability, then I helped the community.

My mom and dad both served in the military, so I was raised to take pride in my school and community, so if an opportunity comes up to help someone doing something for the town, I jump in. Doing things to recognize and show appreciation for veterans and those who served is big for me! Since freshman year of High School, my brother and I have gathered materials and put bags together for Veterans in nursing homes or other sanctions. We did this in honor of my father who served and who took his life in 2015 from PTSD. This was important to us and everyone knew our honoring and wanted to help. 5 years after his death we recognized him; the community, family, friends and even strangers donated products or money towards the cause. We reached over a thousand bags and were on the news channel because of the turnout.

For the past three years, I have helped with the town clean up for the Fourth of July. I take pride in my town and want to help keep it looking presentable for anyone who comes. We pick up trash, mow and break out the shovels to clean up the grass growing over the sidewalks.

My mom, brother and I go every Memorial Day to the town cemetery to clean up and place flags for the veterans. I help go to elders houses often to help with yard work or anything they might need, even grocery shopping. Many people in town feel comfortable to come ask me for services like babysitting, carrying things, picking up or helping overseeing a project. I have participated in working with the blood drive when they come. Our third grade teacher is normally over it and she always comes to me to hand papers out, make and put flyers up and get names down. I signed up and followed through to tutor after school. I am a part of the National Honor Society and we help with the food pantry for the town. My school has started a reading program after school, and I am helping the librarian to read and help the little kids. I was involved in 4H with my school as a mentor. When they took the younger groups on trips, I would attend to help watch the kids and be over a group.

My church youth group is located in McAlester and we have always put ourselves out for service. We have done yard work for many elders in the church. We have visited the nursing home across from the church. We go sing Christmas carols when we visit for Christmas and bring cookies for them. We spend some time talking and conversing with them. My bishop, youth group and I often set up dinners or breakfasts for our church. Our latest meal was a breakfast for Veterans. We cooked pancakes and thanked everyone for their service. We invited anyone to tell their story or story of a loved one who served.

While my mom has raised me to help give back, she has done an extraordinary job at pushing me (even if it is too far). My mother has instilled in me to always push for number one. She has held me to very high standards academicwise since I got my first report card. B’s were unacceptable to her, but I was the same way.

She is a tough love kind of mom, but as a single mother she had to be. Without the parenting style and efforts she used, I would not be writing this essay. The success and accountability I have developed from her efforts will follow me through college. There were times as a kid I wished she would not be so “hard” on me, but it has only prepared me for high school and soon, for life. I could not be more appreciative for the level she has taught me to hold myself too. This has set me up for a good work ethic and personal excellence.

Because of the way my mom has pushed me I now hold myself to high morals academic, service and extracurricular wise. I strive to not only be at the top of my class but push myself to be the top in any environment. I put myself in higher level classes such as AP, honors and I now take classes concurrently through Rose State. My main academic achievement is being able to graduate a year early. It started when I doubled up my math in eighth grade and continually worked to stay ahead.

Also, because I was ahead, most of my classes were with the grade above me. I attended Kiamichi Tech as a Sophomore when Juniors and Seniors are who normally attend. I attended Kiamichi Technology Center in the Biomedical program, this allowed me to finish all my required sciences by sophomore year. The program also opened a door to join HOSA. I was an officer for HOSA and won 2nd in state for a career display! I finished AP classes with the superintendent’s honor roll through the PLTW courseware. I scored passing to receive college credit from the courses and a 2 on the AP Biology test. Two of my favorite handson labs were glucose testing for diabetes and gel electrokinesis runs! I received top of the class for Honors Algebra 2 at Kiamichi Tech as well.

The way everything worked out at the end of the year left me needing a math, history, English, financial literacy and fine arts class. We talked with my councilor and decided I could take financial literacy and fine arts in the summer. I qualified to take concurrent classes in every category because of my ACT scores. I could skip my Junior year and take the remaining three classes concurrently to continue to be ahead for college.

I have also achieved going to compete at state three times this year! I made it as an individual in cross-country, as an individual in basketball, and track as an individual by getting second in the mile and two mile. I have made it because of all the work, self-competition to improve and all the support from family, friends, coaches and community. I have offers for running at Connors State College and Kansas Wesleyan University.

I have applied for individual scholarships to all colleges I have applied for as well as local scholarships and online scholarships.

*** Well, it’s not hard to see how Nariah has achieved so much in her short life. She is a beautiful, intelligent and well-rounded young lady and we have no doubt she will see her goals to their fullest and probably much more than that! Congratulations and may God bless you abundantly in your future endeavors.