HOPE – Hope High School senior student Skylar Hawthorne has been nominated to the 2020 TRiO Hall of Fame from the Arkansas Association of Student Assistance Programs.

Hawthorne is a concurrent credit student at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, and she is a Bobcat Cross Country and Track athlete, member of the National Honor Society, and an HHS Student Council Representative.

“I never really gave college a thought, to be honest,” she said. “TRiO Upward Bound was an amazing opportunity that changed my future, and now I’m honored to be nominated for the hall of fame.”

Hawthorne serves in the Army National Guard and has been accepted for admission to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, where she plans to study psychology. She was nominated from the TRiO program at UAHT for inclusion in the Hall of Fame booklet which will be presented to members of Congress during the Arkansas TRiO Day program at the Council for Opportunities in Education policy seminar in Washington, D.C.

“The TRiO Upward Bound staff is proud to nominate Skylar for the 2020 Arkansas TRiO Hall of Fame,” Keosha Gulley, UAHT TRiO Upward Bound student development coordinator, said. “She has a bright future ahead of her, and with strong focus, she will accomplish her dreams.”

Hawthorne, who plans to pursue a career in professional counseling, will be among Arkansas TRiO students showcased for their academic and civic accomplishments as a result of the nomination.

“All I have to say is ‘thank you’ to Upward Bound and my family for believing in me,” she said.