At the 1st Annual Emerging Leaders Awards last month, attorney Justin Miller presented a $5,000 scholarship on behalf of Morgan & Morgan to Julian Colvard, a young man who plans on attending Clark Atlanta University in the fall.
Held on Friday, April 25, in Atlanta at the offices of Alston & Bird, an area law firm that co-sponsored the event with Morgan & Morgan and Chick-Fil-A, the Emerging Leaders Awards presented scholarships to four other high schoolers in addition to Colvard, who will be the first member of his family to go to college.
Colvard was chosen to receive the scholarship for his ability to transcend trying odds as he chases his dream of playing football in college despite circumstances that may have led others in his situation to simply give up. Much of Colvard’s perseverance, those close to him say, comes from his optimistic disposition, unwavering commitment to his goals and steadfast character.
“Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be alright,” Colvard said, quoting Bob Marley. “That’s how I feel about my future. Somehow, some way, everything is going to be alright.”
According to his biography released by his school, the Carver School of Health Sciences and Research, Colvard, a standout football player who excels in athletics and in the classroom, is up at 5:00 AM every morning to walk to the YMCA to lift weights. Despite having a football team, Colvard’s school does not have a weight room in which its players can train. After a 30-minute walk to school and full days in the classroom, Colvard often used the hour between the end of the school day and football practice to work on his math skills, a subject in which he used to struggle greatly. It’s this dedication to bettering himself on the field and off it, his teachers say, that led him to earn the partial football scholarship he just received to Clark Atlanta University.
“As a starting player on Carver’s state-qualifying team for the last several years, he has committed to year-round practices, conditioning, and film study,” teacher Jerry Kosoff said of his pupil. “He makes it clear that he will stick to the things about which he is passionate, including school.”
In addition to being a varsity high school football standout, Colvard is a Project GRAD Scholar, and took second place in the Health Occupation Student Association’s state competition in CPR and First Aid.
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