LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Families from across the Pulaski County Special School District attended the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 9, to celebrate the 108 seniors who have earned more than $8.8 million in scholarships thus far.
Through the opportunities the AVID program opened for them, this class of 2026 at Maumelle, Mills University Studies, Joe T. Robinson and Sylvan Hills High Schools have earned $8,806,783 in scholarships with totals continuing to increase as students continue to receive scholarship awards.
During the ceremony, AVID District Director and Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Dr. Janice Warren highlighted the extraordinary scholarship growth among AVID scholars with the following year‑over‑year comparisons:
Maumelle High School
2025: $362,000
2026: $997,225
Mills University Studies High School
2025: $1,888,374
2026: $2,061,778
Joe T. Robinson High School
2025: $186,072
2026: $654,000
Sylvan Hills High School
2025: $1,330,829
2026: $5,093,780
“When they are juniors in this program, the focus is that they get all the scholarships necessary to ease your pocket, and this group has done an excellent job,” said Dr. Warren.
Rebecca Carpenter attended the awards ceremony to see her son awarded a stole. Her son, Dylan Rollins, is a senior at Robinson High and was awarded $30,000 in scholarships. He plans to attend the University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College.
“I’m excited for my son. I am excited about this program. It was very rewarding for him,” Carpenter said. “And I can see there’s even more opportunities for other students who are super driven.”
Sylvan Hills High parent LaQuishia Sullivan-Robinson said her daughter, Morghan Sullivan-Smith, has become more active academically and socially with the help of the AVID curriculum. Sullivan-Smith has earned $40,000 in scholarships and will be attending Arkansas State University.
“I really didn’t think she was going to college, but she’s really becoming more active,” Sullivan-Robinson said. “She’s been going different places with AVID and interacting with the other students. I just love it.”
In his closing remarks, Superintendent Jeff Senn said that in his role, he wanted to be sure that all 11,800 students in PCSSD will have the opportunity to succeed.
"Success for all of us is different. It's different. What I deem to be successful for me is not what may be necessarily successful for you, but when you walk across this stage, seniors, I want you to feel successful because, number one, you just made it through the first phase of your life. You'll be entering a phase now where you get to do what you want to do. Four-year university, two-year college, certificate school of industry, or go right into the workforce. You do what makes you happy and what you enjoy,” said Senn.
The following is a list of all students, their future plans, and current scholarship awards:
Sylvan Hills High School
Taylor Adams — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($110,000)
Adriana Bookout — Arkansas State Univ. ($140,390)
Carson Bredensteiner — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($72,000)
Jaiden Bridgers — Arkansas State Univ. ($56,000)
Alyssa Chavis — UA–Pulaski Tech ($27,000)
Daiveonta Clark — Arkansas State Univ. ($27,000)
Jelani Cure — Arkansas Welding Academy
Kaedon Curtis — Henderson State Univ. ($149,000), Dell Scholar Finalist
Ke’Shawnna Davis — Philander Smith College ($102,000)
Yesenia Flores‑Olvera — Loyola Univ. Chicago ($409,000), Hispanic Scholarship Fund Finalist
Alivia Freeman — UA–Pulaski Tech ($283,988)
David Gandy — Arkansas Tech Univ. ($51,000)
Sophia Gonzales — Univ. of Arkansas ($33,000)
SaVana Hall — Univ. of Texas–San Antonio
Asia Harper — Henderson State Univ. ($1,000,102)
Kennedy Hendrix — Arkansas State Univ. ($190,056)
Ryder Hopper — UA–Pulaski Tech ($19,000)
Cameron Jackson — Arkansas State Univ. ($333,800)
Shia Jenkins — Univ. of Louisiana–Lafayette ($165,000)
Kamryn Johnson — Univ. of Arkansas–Monticello ($366,820)
Maddie Juarez — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($87,000)
Jamarion Larry — Clark Atlanta Univ. ($106,000)
Kyra Looney — UA–Little Rock ($28,000)
Giselle Lopez — Arkansas State Univ. ($72,000)
Calayiah Miles — UA–Pulaski Tech ($4,000)
Seniya Miller — Arkansas State Univ. ($19,000)
Toby Patel — UA–Pulaski Tech ($76,640)
Jasmyn Pointer — Arkansas State Univ. ($72,000)
Brooks Seats — Arkansas State Univ. ($139,600)
Aaliyah Spencer — Arkansas Tech Univ. ($39,000)
Landon Stockton — Arkansas State Univ. ($63,000)
Zoey Weeks — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($85,000)
Morghan Sullivan‑Smith — Arkansas State Univ. ($40,000)
Peyton Thompson — Univ. of Arkansas ($330,384), Governor’s Distinguished Scholar
Addie Thornton — Arkansas State Univ. ($88,000)
Bradley Tucker — Arkansas State Univ. ($166,000)
Gimbya Webster — Arkansas State Univ. ($34,000)
Emily White — UA–Little Rock ($34,000)
Kait Wilbourn — Arkansas State Univ. ($25,000)
Ja’Ryiah Williams — Arkansas State Univ. ($72,000)
Jayden Woodberry — Grambling State Univ. ($30,000)
Mills University Studies High School
Da’nyia Barton — Chattahoochee Valley CC ($374,000)
Madison Bowman — Central AR School of Dental Assisting ($15,000)
K’Lea Bunting — UA–Little Rock ($195,050)
Marc Caster — Universal Technical Institute
Isaiah Chambers — Lincoln Tech ($15,000)
Brooklyn Dugger — Henderson State Univ. ($42,510)
Aaron Frierson — Universal Technical Institute ($35,000)
Rene Hernandez‑Vargas — Entrepreneur, Stoneview Landscaping ($49,400)
Iyunna Hill — Arkansas State Univ. ($123,000)
Tristan Irwin — Southern Arkansas Univ. ($15,000)
Layla Jones — Clark Atlanta Univ. ($226,000)
Wynter Lewis — Southern Univ. ($20,000)
Markayla Poole — Arkansas State Univ. ($25,400)
Tykayla Price — Southern Arkansas Univ. ($155,000)
Antonio Rawls — Howard Univ. ($291,450)
Alan Rojas — Employed with Lexicon
Melany Tellez‑Carbajal — Southern Arkansas Univ. ($15,000)
Marshall Walls — Univ. of Memphis ($155,200)
Kyran Ware — U.S. Marines
Terrance West — Louisiana Tech Univ. ($103,000)
Celeste Wilson — Henderson State Univ. ($206,768)
Maumelle High School
Taylor Atkinson — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($60,500)
Karleigh Blunt — Fisk Univ. ($31,445)
Austin Cutchin — Henderson State Univ. ($96,500)
Isabella Dorrell — Licensed cosmetologist
Annastacia Edwards — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($9,000)
Leigha Edwards — National Park College ($42,935)
Kamryn Forte — Univ. of Arkansas ($8,765)
Logan Gill — Missouri Western Univ. ($1,000)
Dylan Harrison — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($96,000)
Kierstyn Hoppe — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($32,000)
Gabriel Irvin — Licensed barber
Caleigh “Jade” Kirkwood — Southern Arkansas Univ. ($76,200)
Paris Lee — Central AR School of Dental Assisting ($188,000)
Itzel Lopez — Univ. of Central Arkansas
Jasmine Martinez — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($10,500)
Devin Morgan — Arkansas State Univ. ($5,870)
J’Kyden Morris — UA–Little Rock ($85,500)
Savannah Pace — Univ. of Arkansas
Sydnee Parks — Texas Southern Univ.
Kaylen Robinson — Univ. of Arkansas–Pine Bluff ($44,444)
Brooklyn Sawyer — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($5,000)
Sania Sheppard — Arkansas State Univ. ($50,000)
Haden Steward — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($131,880)
Samuel “Tre” Vance — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($10,500)
Derick White — Arkansas State Univ. ($10,000)
Azariah Williams — Henderson State Univ. ($51,500)
Michael Willis — Univ. of Arkansas
Joe T. Robinson High School
Jaden Abernathy — Arkansas State Univ.
Kenadie Brooks — Harding Univ. ($115,000)
Ariyona Caffey — Pulaski Tech
Raigen Craig — Prairie View A&M Univ. ($102,000+)
Egypt Gaines — Prairie View A&M Univ. ($176,215+)
Chloe Hayes — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($70,000+)
Malyiah Hunter — Army National Guard (ASVAB)
Braylen Jackson — Tennessee State Univ. ($87,000)
Nehemiah Love — Tennessee State Univ. ($35,000)
Gage Orman — Arkansas State Univ. ($66,000)
Natalie Posner — Univ. of Tennessee
Dylan Rollins — UA–Pulaski Tech ($30,000)
Grayson Sims — Univ. of Central Arkansas ($16,000)
G’Kyriand Wright — ASU–Mountain Home ($54,000)
Luke Walker — UA–Pulaski Tech ($20,000)
Charidey Woods — Army National Guard
Deirra Wray — Arkansas Welding Academy