Mears: Make-a-Wish is a Natural Choice

A funny thing happened to Jenny Mears when she was involved in one national high school student-athlete competition this school year.

She became involved in another.

Yes, fresh off a showing that landed her in the finals of the Wendy's High School Heisman competition, the Rockville High School senior finds herself as a finalist in the SAMMY MVP competition. The SAMMY Awards recognize 25 high school seniors who "represent excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership and also refuel with low-fat chocolate milk after tough workouts."

USA TODAY and a panel of Milk Mustache celebrity athletes, including Apolo Ohno, Chauncey Billups, Dara Torres, Andy Roddick and Lindsey Vonn, chose the 25 scholarship winners.  

"Basically, I was told of this scholarship by a past winner of the Wendy's Heisman and I applied for it online," Mears said on Monday.

Mears is an all-conference and all-state goalkeeper in soccer, one of the better javelin throwers in the state and just happens to be ranked second in her class.

She said she was at a rehearsal for the murder mystery play the RHS creative writers put on annually when Kimmberly Marinan, her guidance counselor, showed her the e-mail indicating she was in the top 25 for the SAMMY competition. 

"Needless to say, I was ecstatic and ran around the auditorium," Mears said. "Then I went outside and said a prayer of thanks. With this opportunity from the Got Milk Campaign and USA Today, I will receive a $7,500 scholarship and a trip to Disney with my family in the end of June."

Mears now needs the support of the community to vote for her as the SAMMY MVP. That distinction would land her $5,000 for her designated charity, the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The voting ends June 29. Each IP address is allowed to vote once in a 24-hour period. Mears has been in the top 5 - and occasionally first - for the better part of a week now.

The voting link is http://sammymvp.com/jennifer-mears/.

Mears is choosing academics first when she heads to Quinnipiac University in the fall, but will also play soccer. She wants to pursue a physician's assistant program, so Make-a-Wish is a natural fit.

"The reason I chose Make-A-Wish to support was because I feel I am so blessed with the opportunities I have and I want to be able to use my good fortune to make the dreams of others come true," she said. "When I enter the medical field as a PA, I hope to work with Make-A-Wish to personally help with the wishes of children battling diseases. These kids are much stronger than I am, and I feel they deserve the glory. I would love to be able to represent them and grant them wishes. They are supported through my community every time a person votes."