Nasim Mohammadzadeh is ahead of the game when it comes to financing her college education.

The Kentucky teen’s entry in NACAC’s 2019 Video Essay Contest earned her a $1,000 scholarship — money that will soon come in handy as she works to pursue an undergraduate degree in neuroscience or biology.

“It really lifts a burden off of me as a whole because, you know, looking at that big number, that tuition cost, for any college…it’s overwhelming,” Mohammadzadeh, a rising senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, said Tuesday during a Facebook Live broadcast.“…Having this scholarship gives me motivation that even if I get into some place that’s extremely expensive and out of my price range, this little scholarship is going to help me be able to achieve that dream and go to that university.”

Mohammadzadeh is one of seven students selected as winners of this year’s contest, which was sponsored by ZeeMee and overseen by NACAC’s Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee.

During the Facebook Live segment, the teen told NACAC’s Crystal Newby that her long-term goal is to become a doctor.

“I really like helping people a lot…I’m a people person,” Mohammadzadeh said. “But I also love biology and neuroscience and everything about that science realm.”

Check out Mohammadzadeh’s winning video essay and learn more about the contest.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.