TOLLAND, CT. (WFSB) – A team of local great kids are representing their hometown down at Disney World!
“I love being the biggest cheerleader,” said Lynne Bridge, a business teacher at Tolland High School.
Bridge is also the coach of the DECA team, which are academic all-stars that go head-to-head with other students in entrepreneurship contests.
“I’m just so excited to go to disney universal all of that,” said Tolland High School Senior Ahshvi Shah.
Just last Tuesday, Shah and two of her teammates, Wilsey Zahner and Cecilia Ruiz-Giro, won the top prize at another business presentation competition: Quinnipiac’s Junior Achievement Tournament of Champions.
The grand prize included a four-year, $92,000 scholarship to the school. Zahner’s mother thought that it was too good to be true!
“I thought it was like 92 hundred and my husband and my daughter were like no mom they said 92 thousand,” said Gina Zahner. “And i was like there is no way thats what this is.”
Ahshvi’s father Dipen and other parents are thrilled about the scholarship but are also proud that more students are celebrating academic success.
“They’re used to hearing about athletes basketball football and soccer,” said Dipen Shah. “Rarely do academic clubs get a spotlight. For them to realize hey academics can pay off at an early i think thats important for everyone to see.”
The superstar scholars hope that they play a role in inspiring other young students to follow their lead.
“My biggest piece of advice would to be just get out and do stuff,” said Ruiz-Giro. “There’s no harm in like trying something and it doesn’t work out. I think thats the most important thing…just like get out there put yourself out there.”
“If i had to say something to them, I would just say be creative whatever you can think of you can definitely do it,” said Ahshvi Shah.
The team will be flying down to Florida to compete for more scholarship money!
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