When Josh Milligan decided to take dual credit Composition I at Italy High School, he had no idea it would give him the opportunity to win money, but that is exactly what happened. He recently was notified he was a first place winner in the 2008 Family Dollar Scholarship Contest and would receive $2,500. The contest was open to students from across the nation ages 15 to 18 who were required to write a 250 words or less essay on the topic of “How higher education can make a difference in your life”.

Josh was honored on Monday morning at Italy High School with a breakfast party during the class. Dr. Harold Nolte, President of Navarro College in Waxahachie, paid for all the refreshments to celebrate Josh’s win. The students enjoyed donuts, pigs in a blanket, cheese, apples, juice and milk.

“The breakfast party this morning is to give applause to a student for academic excellence,” said Jodi Price. “We need to encourage our students to excel academically.”

Jodi Price, a professor at Navarro, teaches the dual credit class and encourages the students in her Composition I class to enter several writing contests. She hopes to teach the students that even though English might not be their favorite subject, they can all be successful writers.

The dual credit classes are offered through Navarro College and allow high school students to earn college credits through classes offered at their high school campus.

“My students are a treasure,” said Price. “Josh is our first winner, but I expect more in the future. I want the students to develop writing skills they will need in higher education all the way to the Phd level.”

When Milligan was notified he had won the contest, he asked for and received special permission to call Mrs. Price at home.

“I was so happy that I had won, I did not want to wait to tell Mrs. Price,” said Milligan. “I am glad she encouraged me to enter the contest. I plan to put the $2,500 toward college.”

Josh, the son of Keith and Becky Milligan of Italy, is a junior at IHS. He would like to attend Texas A & M upon graduation and become a game warden. He likes to hunt and fish and has seen things that disturb him. By becoming a game warden, he feels he could make a difference.

Protecting Through Education

by Josh Milligan

_We all dream of becoming a hero and saving loved ones or stopping evil deeds. For me, my heroic dream is to stop poaching, rescue injured or endangered animals and work toward preserving our natural habitat. While in the wild, I have seen appalling sights.

A while back, I happened to come across a red-tailed hawk that was trapped in a batting cage. The magnificent bird had its foot stuck in the net. It was screeching, flapping its wings and losing feathers left and right. I managed to calm it down, grab it and let it free from its demise. That was the greatest feeling in the world. The experience confirmed that I was meant to save and protect the wild. I was meant to be a game warden.

In order to get the opportunity to do what I love, I need a four-year bachelor’s degree. I have worked hard in school, becoming an honor student and striving to be the top of my class. I want to go to college more than anything, and scholarships are one of the only ways I am getting there. Whether it is working or academics, one way or the other, I will go to college.

I am driven to get to college and reach my dream so that I can inspire others to follow the same path I took. I will work hard and sacrifice to become a game warden, and somehow, I will._