A cadet from the JROTC program at Poplar Bluff High School has been selected in the very first round to receive a four-year U.S. Army scholarship.
Senior Elizabeth Shirrell, commander of the Pvt. Billie Kanell JROTC Battalion, is the first cadet within the history of the program to be awarded during the first of three rounds of selections, according to senior Army instructor Gregory Crites, who noted a total of 35 PBHS students have earned the scholarship over the years.
“She had an excellent ACT score; is in the top five of her class, let’s say; and she’s basically involved in anything and everything,” stated Maj. Crites, adding that Shirrell is on the drill team, the raider team and spent two years in band. “It’d be hard to find someone better qualified.”
An estimated 12,000-14,000 high school students from across the country apply for the Army scholarship, according to Crites. Shirrell was able to submit on the application four choices of colleges, with Truman State University in Kirksville topping the list. She plans to study to become a nurse practitioner, she said. She will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army when she serves her mandatory four years.
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Cutline: PBHS senior Elizabeth Shirrell—pictured on Thursday, Jan. 9—plans to pursue a nursing degree from Truman State University with a U.S. Army scholarship.