Antavious McCarden knows the stress of paying for college is real. As a senior at Troup High School, he has been researching the cost of college attendance and has been accepted into Mississippi State University. 

He has also applied to University of Alabama and University of Georgia. 

McCarden recently learned that he was officially selected as the district academic nominee for the United States Presidential Scholar award. This nomination was made by McCarden’s advanced placement European history teacher, Chance Giddens. Both know that this honor has the potential to help defray some of those costs of a post-high school education. Giddens said McCarden’s academic accomplishments, along with his participation in extracurricular activities, made him an excellent candidate. 

“I feel very honored and grateful to be nominated for this recognition. Going to college can be very stressful and costly,” McCarden said. 

“Now I have the opportunity to earn scholarship funds that can take the burden off of my family. This wouldn’t just be for me. It would be for them, too. If I am named a final winner, it will allow me to focus on my education and not worry about how I’m going to pay for college or what to do financially when I get there.”  

McCarden said he has always been fascinated with government, how it works and anything related to social studies. He plans to major in political science. 

He will be notified in January if he is selected to move to the next level of competition.