West Ashley High School senior Makenzie Watkins was recently announced as a School Winner of Wendy’s High School Heisman. Watkins is one of those rare students who work hard in the classroom, within the community, and on the field — she truly leads by example.
Watkins is a member of the National Honor Society, a student ambassador, and has been the team captain of the WAHS Girls Soccer Team since her freshman year. She was also named a student ambassador this year by WAHS Counseling Department because of her grades and outgoing personality.
She’s also a part of the Spanish Club, which was started by Tristan Hill, a World Languages teacher at the school. “I look up to Mr. Hill because he taught me to think for myself and not be afraid of speaking my mind even if it goes against the status quo,” said Watkins. “He inspires me to do the best I can at everything and not be afraid to fail.”
Currently, Watkins’ class rank is within the top 10 in the senior class. Watkins maintains a 4.76 GPA all while having a part-time job, being involved in extracurricular activities, and playing both school and club soccer. This is not an easy task! Watkins makes school her first priority by splitting her homework into intervals before and after her two hour practice.
Her dedication to and love of soccer is what drove her to apply for this scholarship. “She is known by her teachers and friends for her commitment to excellence. We are excited and honored that a program like Wendy’s High School Heisman is also recognizing her hard work,” said Lee Runyon, principal of West Ashley High School. Watkins has worked very hard this school year and wants to earn some extra money to help pay for college. “I worked very hard,” said Watkins. “[It was] nice to know I got recognized.”
Watkins is also extremely thankful for her mother, a single mother with two children, but still tries hard to be at every game. Her soccer coach, Drew McNeely, also pushes Watkins and her team to do their best. “Even if we have a rough game, he still pushes us to be better players,” says Watkins.
More than 600,000 students have been recognized by Wendy’s and the Heisman Trophy Trust since it was established in 1994. Every year the nation’s most respected students are reward with the honor and a small scholarship. Wendy’s uses the High School Heisman as a way to recognize the accomplishments of thousands of high school seniors.
The program is divided into three categories: School Winners, State Finalists, and State Winners. Watkins was named a School Winner and received a Wendy’s High School Heisman Patch and a School Winner certificate. The State Finalists received a Wendy’s High School Heisman State Finalist patch, a bronze medal, and a $25 gift card. From the list of State Finalists, one senior male and one senior female were chosen from each state and were then named the State Winners
