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| Lindsay Miller is in shock and excited about being in the “Top Two” to compete for $100,000. She is pictured with her dad, Paul Miller, who inspired her to pursue speech pathology as a career as a result of his brain injury. |
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UPDATE: JCJC freshmen to compete for $100,000 scholarship
Jones County Junior College freshman Lindsay Miller was in shock after learning she will compete in the final round of Dr Pepper’s Tuition Giveaway for $100,000 in scholarships. The Laurel resident sent word via Instagram with a picture with her dad and inspiration, Paul Miller, by her side.
The competition will be at halftime of the Auburn-Missouri SEC Championship game, which is at 3 p.m. Saturday on CBS.
“I’m in a crazy whirl of excitement!!! Brooks is the guy I’ll be competing against Saturday. His story is incredible too! He made 16 and I made 15! Right now we’re at “Fanfare” for pictures!!!” said Miller.
Miller found out three weeks ago that her video and essay caught Dr Pepper’s attention. To become one of the five finalists and to compete in Atlanta on Friday, Miller had to get people to vote on her video story, sharing how her father’s brain injury inspired her career and how she would impact her community.
“It was a serious injury. He cracked his skull falling out of a golf cart. It caused him to lose a lot of his personality and his capability to speak,” Miller said.
Making something good out of a bad situation, Miller said the accident inspired her to be a speech pathologist. It’s also why she began searching for scholarships as a high school senior at Laurel Christian High School.
“I found the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway contest last year and I created the video with the help of Amanda Kennedy at LCHS. Then she realized contestants have to be at least 18 years old. I was two months short of meeting that requirement,” Miller said.
Kennedy helped her revise this year’s video when Miller changed her major from education to speech pathology. Thinking the scholarship was based on the video submission, Miller didn’t know until three weeks ago she would have to throw footballs to win the scholarship.
“My dad coached me and we’ve been practicing every day since then. I can throw a mean spiral now!” Miller joked.
In fact, she averaged 14 completions at her final practice at JCJC on Wednesday afternoon for the media. Determined to do better, Miller’s evening practice average increased to 16. She must have been feeling pretty confident when she entered the Georgia Dome Friday afternoon because she completed 15 throws through the Dr Pepper target in 30 seconds, almost beating out her male competitor, Brooks Bergman who made 16.
“I am so excited to have this opportunity to compete for $100,000 … but even more so that I get to compete with such an awesome guy and now friend, Brooks Bergman and I will be on during halftime of the SEC championship tomorrow! Watch!” Miller said.
The only disappointment Miller said she’s experienced during this whole process was Alabama’s loss to Auburn last week. As a huge Alabama fan, she was hoping she’d be able to watch her favorite team play for the championship Saturday. However, as a finalist, Miller is walking away with a lot to smile about and a lot of cash. She’s racked up at least $22,500 in scholarships from Dr Pepper. All five finalists earned $2,500 and the second place prize is $20,000. Of course, she’d like to win it all to stay debt free after six-years of college. Miller said she plans to transfer to the University of Alabama to fulfill her dream of being a speech pathologist and giving people like her dad, a “voice.”
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