It’s shame none came to collect funds for college

Imagine the Tennessee Lottery included a game where $300,000 were up for grabs, and the only thing that had to be done to win was to fill out an application to be placed in a drawing where the odds of winning were maybe one in two or one in three, if any at all.
Any takers?
Unfortunately there were none during the recent election. Many in Lebanon noticed voting for the recipient of the Cartmell Scholarship included no hopefuls.
Why? The concept is the same. A prospective college student would fill out an application, be placed on the ballot and receive a scholarship to Vanderbilt University upon garnering the most votes. If that student happened to be the only one on the ballot, those odds of winning greatly increase.
It’s a no brainer.
All students have to do to become eligible for the scholarship is to fill out a few financial aid forms. There are only three criteria: grades, need and test scores.
One would imagine that if a student makes the grades to be accepted to Vanderbilt University, he or she would also be eligible for the Cartmell Scholarship.
Then it’s up to voters.
It isn’t as if the scholarship is something new. It’s been available during every city election in Lebanon since 1911. But maybe it’s not common knowledge to students.
Among the more than 40 scholarships listed on Lebanon High School’s website, the Cartmell Scholarship isn’t one of them.
So what happens to the scholarship money? Well, now it’s up to the Vanderbilt Board of Trustees to decide the recipient.
It’s one more thing that has been taken out of the hands of voters and decided upon by a small few.
This scholarship is something school guidance counselors must educate themselves and their students on so this scenerio doesn’t play out again.
In the next election two years from now, we hope the entire ballot is filled with Cartmell Scholarship hopefuls.
Then, cashing in that lottery ticket for one lucky student will be well worth the effort.