HOUSTON – KPRC 2 and American Furniture Warehouse are surprising 20 deserving high school seniors with scholarships in 2024. All students selected for scholarships have been nominated by their high schools.
The sixth $2,500 scholarship winner of the year is Julianna Linton, a standout student-athlete at Cypress Ranch High School.
Racking up an impressive number of volunteer hours alongside her mother through the National Charity League, Linton notes that she has a particular fondness for building beds for children in need with Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
A competitive cheerleader on her school’s varsity squad, Linton explained to KPRC 2′s Anthony Yanez that she was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, a condition that prevented one of her arms from fully forming in the womb.
“I think I was born with a gift,” Linton said in her scholarship nomination essay, “Having one arm has given me the opportunity to be a positive role model and inspire others by never letting my differences hold me back.”
Linton teaches gymnastics to pre-school age students at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics.
She notes, “I’ll demonstrate a handstand, and they’ll try to do it with one hand…Even if they fall, I encourage them to get back up and keep trying. I hope they’ll always remember me and that I’ll be their inspiration to never give up on anything.”
Linton’s positive attitude has earned her the Pin It Forward Award from the National Cheerleaders Association. She plans to study Architecture at Texas A&M University.
You can see the scholarship surprise for Julianna Linton in the video player at the top of this article.