The ecstatic teenager knew the notification would arrive at 11 a.m. Dec. 1 via email and “anxiously counted the minutes” until AP English was finished so she run to the computer.
“The first word I saw was ‘Congratulations!’ and I stopped reading, bolted out of my chair and ran screaming through the school, ‘I’m going to college!’”
Lallane’s jubilant reaction was understandable considering scholarship money was the only way the busy achiever would get to a top-tier U.S. school.
“We’re a family of seven and my dad has a modest job, so paying $58,000 a year was unthinkable for us.”
The whopping price tag is tuition for just one year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where Lallane will begin as part of the 2012 freshman class.
After meeting Lallane it is easy to see why she accomplished such an amazing feat.
The National Honor Society, Mock Trial and JROTC member is articulate, focused and knows exactly where she is going in life.
“I want to be a CNMI community-based attorney helping people who can’t afford one to make sure their voices are heard too.”
Her law school choice is Yale (close to Wesleyan) and plans to apply after finishing her undergraduate degree in a double major of English and political science.
Fortunately, Lallane has plenty of time to rest up before she leaves for college to hit the books heavy.
“I’m so lucky that I don’t have to worry about college application season that begins in January…or endure the anxiety of waiting for college letters…. I can enjoy the rest of my senior year on island with no stress.”
Lallane’s parents felt that sigh of relief as well.
When she called them after reading the award email they literally cried “with joy.”
Their happiness was not only due to the financial relief but because their second child among five will be the first person in the Chamorro-Filipino clan to attend college.
Lallane credits her family’s love of learning and great teachers for her success and thus the intention to return home after law school to give back to the community.
This superstar teenager understands gratitude and the power of hope during the holiday season…if only every child in the CNMI could receive such an amazing gift in their stocking.
