A Hutchison School senior and M.O.S.T. McDonnell Scholar, Jamie Woods (pictured above, on the right, with her friend and 2024 St. Agnes graduate Zoe Gill, who was also a McDonnell Scholar) is on that wonderful edge between high school and the amazing, unknown adventure of college. Like every student before her, she’s watching this profound year unfold with a giddy mix of optimism, opportunity, and focus.
“Senior year is unlike any experience I've ever had, because there's so many fun activities and fun traditions,” she said. “At the same time, you're keeping up with your classwork, and figuring out where you’ll go to college. It's fun, but heavy hitting the same time.”
After elementary school at New Hope Christian Academy, Jamie followed her sister Jasmine to 7th grade at Hutchison on a needs-based M.O.S.T. Scholarship. During 8th grade, she was selected for the new M.O.S.T. McDonnell Scholarship, which was onboarding only its second annual cohort. Available to all students at M.O.S.T. partner schools who are eligible for standard needs-based M.O.S.T. Scholarships, the McDonnell Scholarship is merit- and leadership-based, and up to ten are awarded annually to rising 9th grade applicants based on performance on a standardized test, a written essay, and interviews with M.O.S.T. staff and stakeholders. With the doors opened by her two M.S.T. Scholarships, the environment at Hutchison gave Jamie everything she needed to thrive academically, socially, and personally.
“Hutchison is a place where I can truly be myself,” she said. “I’ve found so many great friends, a nurturing community, and it’s the place where I found my voice. I used to be a shy person who never talked to people, but I gained confidence at Hutchison. It even led me to do things like become Vice President of my grade. I would never have imagined myself being brave enough to attempt that before Hutchison.”
In addition to her duties as class VP, an elected position she’s held since her junior year, she’s also the manager of the school’s basketball team, and a participant in Hutchison’s My Experience program, where she’s a member of the Entrepreneurship Cohort. Through that program and another called LITE Memphis, which cultivates high school-age entrepreneurs, she developed a project to host a workshop for her peers to hone their networking skills.
“Because of that project, I got the idea to start an event planning business,” said Jamie. “Entrepreneurship has always been a thing in my family. We’re always starting up businesses, so I’m definitely interested in exploring that myself.” (You can read about her sister Jasmine’s tutoring business here.)
Jamie has applied to a dozen colleges and universities, including Howard University, University of Texas, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Georgia. While she isn’t sure where the next stage of her academic journey will take place, she’s clear-headed about what she’ll do there, combining her family’s tradition of small business ownership and her own experience as a basketball team manager.
“I really want to work in sports, or sports management. While researching it, I learned there's a whole industry around hosting events adjacent to different sporting events,” she said. “I'm looking into that field and when I find the right school, I plan to major in either sports management or sports medicine.”
Thinking about the school environment that pushed her to where she is today, Jamie feels grateful to the growing community of M.O.S.T. supporters.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to be great, and to be able to find their passions,” she said. “If I didn't have these M.O.S.T. scholarships, I don't think I would be where I am today. I hope people who donate to M.O.S.T. understand what they do for people like me. We start as little kids, and our M.O.S.T. Scholarships give us access to these places where we find out who we are and what we’re truly capable of becoming. And that could literally be anything we want to be.”