PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — More than 300 seniors graduated from Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport on Tuesday morning and many of them are well on their way to making their mark on the world, including 17-year-old Mykenzi Davis-Cowart.
Davis-Cowart met with ABC Action News during her last week of school.
“I spent a lot of time here. Really just savoring these last few days I have here and just getting ready for my next chapter,” said Davis-Cowart.
Davis-Cowart's adornments to her cap and gown this year are like trophies. The very involved senior has a 4.4 GPA, EMT and EKG certification, and has started a successful non-profit. But one of her biggest accomplishments is receiving more than $750,000 in college scholarships.
“I knew what my end goal was. I knew that I wanted to get a lot of scholarships. I knew I wanted to be able to attend a great school,” explained Davis-Cowart.
Davis-Cowart will be attending North Carolina Central University this fall, majoring in biology with the end goal of becoming a doctor—a goal that she promised her aunt dying of cancer when she was just six years old. She'll be going on a full academic scholarship.
“'One day, I'm going to be a doctor so I can help you.' Obviously, I was young, I didn't really understand, but I kept that in my mind through middle school, elementary, high school, and I used that to push me to do what I needed to do,” explained Davis-Cowart.
That push landed Davis-Cowart acceptance letters to 18 different colleges across the country. Some names on that list include Howard University, North Carolina A&T, Duke, Dominica University, Creighton and Seton Hall. Oh, and that one other school up north.
“I got accepted into Harvard University,” said Davis-Cowart.
All of Davis-Cowart's scholarship money will eventually pay for her medical school. But already, she knows a thing or two about diagnosing one certain illness.
“Senioritis is real. It's definitely real,” she said.
The seniors at Boca Ciega High School received $4.3 million in college scholarships this year, a record for them. That does not include bright futures money or students who received full rides.
