TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School senior Chase Herrington was recognized by the Friends of Texas Public Schools (FOTPS) during the organization’s 2024 Friend of the Year Awards Dinner last Wednesday night (November 13) in Waco.
Herrington was presented with a $2,500 scholarship during the ceremony after he was selected as an FOTPS scholarship winner. Herrington’s nomination included a two-minute, self-created video that touched on the importance of public education and its impact on his life, an application that also explained how the scholarship will help him reach his goals, and a letter of recommendation. Herrington is active in Temple High School’s theatre arts program and is also completing courses in the Texas Bioscience Institute, where he will earn his associate degree from Temple College at the same time he finishes his high school diploma. Herrington has also done undergraduate research on zebra mussels, volunteers with the ‘Living Well in Bell’ program at the Temple Community Clinic and co-leads a social group for community seniors called ‘The Prime Timers.’ Herrington hopes to attend the University of Texas at Austin or Texas A&M University and major in either biology or biomedical science before going on to medical school with the goal of specializing in geriatric medicine.
“It is incredible to win the scholarship and it is the cumulation of a lot of work, but in some ways, I don’t feel deserving because there are so many other great students out there,” Herrington said. “The awards ceremony itself was surreal to see all of the superintendents and elected officials that were there, but I felt very welcomed and appreciated. The scholarship is also going to be a big help as I plan to go on to medical school and it has given me a lot more confidence moving forward.”
Temple High School Head Counselor Katie Doughty and Temple High School exchange student Yuri Guglielmana worked with Herrington on his video submission for the scholarship. Doughty also assisted with the nomination process and Herrington credits her and Guglielmana with helping him earn the scholarship. The counselor and other THS administrators are thrilled to see Herrington’s hard work and talents recognized with the honor.
“It was really cool to be able to experience the dinner again and I just felt like Chase would be a shoo-in for the scholarship after looking at his resume,” Doughty said. “I like to brag to other people about how our students are the best and to be able to pair Chase up with one of our exchange students and see what they produced is one of the great things about public education.”
“He is a talented young man, I’ve watched his performances for a couple of years now, and he is also very creative,” added Dr. Jason Mayo, principal of Temple High School. “He is a great student in the classroom, and we are blessed to have him at Temple High School. I am excited to see where his future takes him, and I know he will be very successful.”
Temple High School’s Makale Edwards won the FOTPS scholarship last year, giving THS back-to-back winners. This is the first time in the history of the scholarship that a school district has produced consecutive winners. The dinner marked the 20th annual Friends of Texas Public Schools Friend of the Year recognition and the organization also honored its 2024 Friend of the Year, 2024 Ambassador of the Year, and 2024 Distinguished Service Award winner. The event was held at the Baylor Club at McLane Stadium in Waco.