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Incoming Pomona student wins top prize on TV's
"The Scholar"
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Melissa Hanna '09 won the top prize last
night on ABC's "The Scholar," a reality show in
which 10 exceptional high school students competed
for money to pay for college.
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Incoming Pomona student Melissa Hanna
wins on "The Scholar." |
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The teen from
the Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana took home a full
scholarship -- worth up to $240,000 -- after six
episodes of competitions testing academic knowledge,
problem-solving and leadership skills before a panel of three
admissions officers.
On Monday night, 140 friends and family members gathered at
the Hanna family home to watch the finale air in primetime. After a drum
roll, the show's host revealed that Hanna was the winner.
"Everyone who has invested in me their time and their faith,
I hope I've made everyone proud," she said on TV.
The program ended with the viewing audience learning where
each student would be going to college, including Harvard,
Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth. Hanna's Pomona pick was
the final clip.
In real life, Hanna and her family had been keeping the
secret about her win for months. The show was filmed over a
two-week period at USC in the winter. "You have no idea how
hard it was not to tell you guys," she said.
At one point, Hanna had to make an awkward phone call to
Pomona College's Business Office regarding the aid package the college had
offered.
"I said, 'I can't tell you why, but I'm not going to be
needing the money you offered me,'" Hanna recalled.
Hanna faces the panel on "The Scholar." |
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Pomona is one of only a handful of institutions in the
nation still committed to need-blind admissions and meeting
the full financial need of every student accepted to the
college. This ensures that the best students can attend,
regardless of income.
According to the show's Website, Hanna used a scholarship to
attend a private school in the San Fernando Valley, where
she earned a 4.2 grade point average and pursued
extra-curricular activities such as community service and
producing concerts.
Getting onto the TV show may have been more difficult than
the college admissions process. A college counselor at her
school told her about the opportunity. After filling out a
lengthy application and submitting a video, she went through
a two-month audition process, with five interviews and test
screenings.
She enjoyed her two weeks living with the talented group of
teens in a house near the USC campus. "I think you're
finally in your element, Melissa," her mother told her as
she dropped Hanna off for the two weeks.
And Hanna expects to have that same feeling as a student at
Pomona, one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges.
Hanna first visited the college as part of the Minority Student
Action Program. Since Hanna attended a private high school,
she liked the idea of attending a small college with caring
faculty and administrators.
Visiting the Pomona campus, "it felt so right," she said.
"And I knew this was going to be a place where I fit in."
She hasn't decided on a major yet, but Hanna does plan to
use her musical talents in the orchestra and jazz ensemble.
Hanna said she has been getting some flack on the show's
Internet message board for choosing a college relatively
close to home, with people suggesting she should go see the
world. "As far as I'm concerned, the world is right here in
Southern California," she said. "It doesn't get any better
here ... having all these resources."
Read more:
Los Angeles Daily News article about Hanna
Pomona College's
Hollywood connections
"The Scholar"
Website
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