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Dandridge student wins Wendy's High School Heisman annual scholarship competition


DANDRIDGE, TN - From an applicant pool of nearly 42,000 high school scholar-athletes graduating with the class of 2019, Lauren Eccles of Dandridge, Tenn. has been named the female Wendy’s High School Heisman National Winner in the award’s 25th year.

lauren eccles
Lauren Eccles; image submitted

As a National Winner, Lauren will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and trip to New York City to attend the Heisman Trophy Trust’s annual college Heisman award, broadcasted on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 on ESPN.

Lauren attends Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Tenn. and shines in soccer, swimming. and track and field. Lauren was captain for both soccer and swimming and has won varsity letters in each sport every year. She is an Impact Honors Track and Field athlete, a regional and state qualifier in swimming, a competitive swimming multi-event record holder and was named the Atomic Triathlon Overall Junior Champion.

Lauren’s academic excellence is portrayed through her dual enrollment in high school and college. She will graduate summa cum laude in May of 2019 from Walters State Community College with 90 college credits and an Associate of Science degree, two weeks prior to her high school graduation. Lauren prides herself on enrolling in the most challenging courses so she can be fully prepared for her future academic pursuits. In her application, Lauren shared her life motto is borrowed from John F. Kennedy; she chooses to push herself academically to excel in all things, "not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Lauren has also given back to her community through the sport she loves, soccer. Lauren obtained her American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) youth volunteer and referee certification to work as a certified referee. She has volunteered within AYSO for several years, spending many Saturdays working games and cleaning up the fields at the Boys and Girls Club. She’s worked to maintain the fields and facilities by repairing broken nets and equipment. In addition, Lauren has also volunteered within her community to assist basketball, volleyball and swim teams; she estimates these efforts have helped more than 1,200 children to participate in community athletics.

Lauren hopes to attend a division I university in the fall of 2019 to play soccer and seek a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. She also intends to earn her doctorate in engineering after undergrad. Lauren looks forward to a career in chemical engineering research to help solve global problems like water scarcity. Lauren is first in her class at Jefferson County High School with a 4.7/4.0 grade point average, a 36 ACT and a 1540 SAT score.

The Wendy's High School Heisman was created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Dave Thomas dropped out of high school when he was 15 years old in order to work full-time and went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. While this nontraditional path led to his prosperity, it always worried Dave that others would follow in his footsteps and expect to achieve similar fame and wealth by not finishing high school or attending college.

Faced with this dilemma, at 61 years old, Dave enrolled at Coconut Creek High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and received his General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Inspired by this moment and with a desire to celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in America, he launched the Wendy's High School Heisman program.

Twenty-five years later, Wendy's High School Heisman has honored more than 650,000 of the nation's most esteemed high school seniors who share Wendy's values of giving back to their communities, treating people with respect, continuing education and excelling on the athletic field.

The Wendy's High School Heisman is a joint program between Wendy's and the Heisman Trophy Trust, host and custodians of the Heisman Memorial Trophy®.

Published December 7, 2018








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