When Autumn Clewell’s mother sent her a Facebook link about a statewide scholarship competition in January, the Lehighton Area High School senior did what she said she always tries to do with an opportunity, she went for it.

The gamble paid off. Clewell is one of 25 Pennsylvania students selected from roughly 1,800 applicants to receive a $10,000 Semiquincentennial Scholarship from America250-PA, the state’s official organization commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“I was so surprised I got picked for it,” Clewell said.

The application required a roughly 500-word essay and a letter of recommendation. Clewell’s essay tackled the topic of citizenship through the ages, drawing on conversations with teachers and professors at Lehigh Carbon Community College, where she also takes classes.

“It was basically asking about citizenship then and now,” she said. “I was thinking about how it changed dramatically because of telephones and the internet; it opens up a wide variety of change and it’s so noticeable. It was kind of easy to write about once I got into that.”

For her letter of recommendation, Clewell turned to a trusted mentor from years past. She chose Elizabeth Yescavage, who teaches at Lehighton Middle School and was Clewell’s English teacher.

“I’m very close with her, and I trust her a lot with everything,” Clewell said. “I look up to her so much. She’s just such a nice and genuine person, and she’s so willing to help me out in any way.”

The 25 winners were honored April 30 at a luncheon at the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro in Harrisburg. Clewell described the event as welcoming and well-organized.

“There were lots of food, desserts and drinks everywhere,” she said. “It was really nice to talk to the other candidates about how they were writing and where they’re committed to, and just get to know people.”

The luncheon, she said, offered its share of notable encounters, including a conversation with the president of Penn State.

“I actually got a chance to talk with her for a little bit,” Clewell said.

She said the biggest takeaway from the experience went well beyond the award itself.

“Getting to meet a lot more people that are outside of where I live, and that are doing the same thing I’m doing and striving for that extra help, and also just striving to be a better person in society, that definitely helps,” Clewell said. “A lot of people contacted me after the event saying how proud they are of me. That definitely helped boost my confidence a little bit before college.”

In the fall, Clewell will attend Cedar Crest College, a private institution in Allentown, where she plans to pursue a degree in nursing with the goal of becoming a registered nurse. She said the school’s program stood out immediately.

“They have amazing NCLEX pass rates, and they’re also very hands-on, which I’m so happy about, because that’s one way I learn really well,” she said.

She will also continue playing volleyball at the collegiate level, another factor in her decision to attend Cedar Crest.

Clewell said she first set her sights on nursing her freshman year of high school after looking into volunteering at St. Luke’s.

“I volunteered one summer before my junior year, and it went really smoothly. That was kind of my decision maker,” she said. “I really just like being able to be talkative while at a work setting, and be able to help people and feel like I’m bettering the community I live in.”

Longer term, she has her sights set well beyond Carbon County. Clewell said she is interested in travel nursing and has a specific destination in mind.

“I love Lehighton, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely want to go maybe to South Carolina,” she said.

The $10,000 scholarship will go directly toward helping make that future a reality. Clewell, who works as a waitress, said she is financing college on her own while also planning to live in the dorms, an added cost at a private school.

“They gave me pretty good scholarships,” she said of Cedar Crest. “I’m down to about $20,000 a year, which isn’t bad, but definitely paying that as an 18-year-old is tough.”

She encouraged other students not to pass up scholarship opportunities, regardless of the time commitment required to apply.

“Any opportunity that you see, go for it, because you never know what you’re going to be able to get,” Clewell said. “The more you apply, the better chances you have.”

James Logue Jr. contributed to this report.