Tia Kohs received quite the surprise at lunch on April 27.
The Flathead senior was awarded a $20,000 scholarship through the Foot Locker Foundation. Over 20,000 students applied for the elite scholarship and only 20 were selected across the U.S.
Kohs received the award at lunch in front of her peers, who cheered her on as she was surprised by the announcement.
Kohs has competed in cross country, track and served as a cheerleader during her four years at Flathead. But it was her commitment outside of competition that truly set her apart. She is an International Baccalaureate student with a 3.9 GPA. She has also volunteered for several organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Leaders of Tomorrow.
She plans to pursue a degree in the medical field at Whitworth University.
Here’s the award announcement from Foot Locker:
This student was adopted from China at 15 months old. After her adoptive father passed away from cancer, she used cross country as an outlet to focus herself physically and mentally. An injury forced her to take a break from running, but she remained an active member of her team as manager and assistant coach. When her adoptive mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an oncologist to help others like her mother and father. She has already begun serving her community through her work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, National Honors Society, United Way and Leaders of Tomorrow. She will be pursuing her degree in the medical field at Whitworth University.