Madeira Freshman Named Carson Scholar

This spring, Sunny C. ’26 was named a Carson Scholar for 2023, and this will be Sunny’s second year being recognized with this award. The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to students in grades 4 – 11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities.  

Carson Scholars must “demonstrate the highest standards of academic achievement, integrity, civic and social responsibility,” and a school can nominate one student each year. In 8th grade, Sunny’s assistant principal nominated her for the scholarship. “I was so honored because I knew only one person out of the entire school can be nominated each year,” remarks Sunny, “and not all nominations get accepted.” Carson Scholars must have a minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service. 

Sunny gives back to her community in a variety of ways and has done so for as long as she can remember. She has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten and is very involved with the Girl Scout community. To earn her Silver Award, she worked to educate her community about ways to keep our local public tunnels clean, and for the third summer in a row, she plans be an Aide at a Girl Scout summer camp. For the past two years, she has also organized her sister’s Girl Scout troop to volunteer with Backpack Buddies, an organization that helps provide hunger relief for school-aged children.  An avid and committed swimmer, she also teaches young swimmers how to improve their swimming stroke technique, volunteering every Sunday as a coach through her club swim team. 

“I am very honored to have received this award for the second time,” shares Sunny. “My awards ceremony will be held at the end of the month, and I’m so excited to see Dr. Carson and his wife again.” Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, and his wife, Candy, started the Carson Scholars Fund in 1994 to address the education crisis in the United States. They believed that if children could be taught early to excel, they would stay motivated and have a higher chance of educational success later in life. The program awards more than 500 scholarships every year, and more than 3,500 students have been recognized for their achievements in multiple years.  

Sunny’s advisor, Ms. Emily Dowd, was not at all surprised to hear about her amazing accomplishment and reports that, “Sunny is an exceptional athlete who is dedicated not only to her own performance but also building up her teammates. Rather than staying in her own head at meets, she’s found along the edge of the pool encouraging her teammates and celebrating their wins alongside her own. Her passion for Madeira outside of the pool is infectious as well. Sunny adores this community, and we are lucky to share it with her.” 

“I feel that being surrounded by such a driven, close-knit community has helped me try and reach for the stars,” says Sunny. “Here at Madeira, I feel so supported by my peers and teachers to become the best version of myself. I’m also in the process of implementing some ‘giving back’ ideas – you’ll certainly be hearing more from me soon!” 

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