Contributed to the Telegram

The Boice-Willis Clinic has awarded the 2008 Anne McBride Smith Memorial Scholarship to Elizabeth D. Cotton, a senior at Rocky Mount High School.

Cotton graduates with a grade point average of more than 3.9 and graduates as a participant in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In addition to her many scholastic accomplishments, she was active in several school clubs and also participated in the Science Olympiad during her 11th and 12 grades as well as the Math Team in her senior year. Over the last four years, Elizabeth was also an active volunteer with many church and community activities. Based on all of these outstanding achievements, she was one of the nominees for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship.

Cotton will be attending the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill this fall with plans to attend medical school after graduation.

"After witnessing how my mother's doctors had changed her life when she was diagnosed with cancer, I knew then that I wanted to have that same positive effect on the lives of those around me," Cotton said. "My mother is cancer-free and this would have not been possible if not for the wonderful team of doctors."

The Boice-Willis Clinic's Anne McBride Smith Memorial Scholarship is a four-year, $12,000 scholarship awarded to a senior who is interested in a science or health-related field. Elizabeth is the thirteenth recipient of this scholarship.