Polk County Middle School eighth-grader Mikyla Wilkie was one of 50 students out of 2,000 applicants selected in a national academic scholarship program, offered through the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars program.  

The program is a selective, five-year pre-college scholarship offered to high-performing seventh-grade students that provides comprehensive academic and college advising, as well as financial support for school, summer programs, internships and other learning-enrichment opportunities.

Wilkie said she plans to use some of the funds to learn computer coding and how to play the guitar.  

Currently, Wilkie is interested in forensic sciences. This past summer, she studied the science of film and literature through the Duke Tip Scholars program, where she wrote screenplays and studied Sherlock Holmes and how forensic data helps solve crimes.

The Polk County Community Foundation provided the funding for Wilkie and numerous other Polk County students to attend the summer sessions.

“Duke Tip helped learn how to become more independent and relearn how to make friends,” Wilkie said. “This experience gave me skills I will need in my future, like how to take care of myself, and work in groups, and it just prepared me for life. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience.”

Due to her qualifying scores for the Duke Tip program, Wilkie earned both the state award and the Grand Recognition National award for extremely high scoring students on the ACT. Mikyla also has maintained grades of all As in her middle school career, while staying involved in the school play “Help Us, Mister Holmes,” the book club and basketball.  

– Submitted by Jeanne Ferran