What would be your reaction if awarded a $48,000 scholarship to The University of Texas at Austin? Madelyn Moore, senior at Irving High School, was completely surprised when this became her reality earlier this month. Students, Irving High faculty and district leadership along with representatives from UT Austin gathered in the entrance of Irving High School  to award the star student with the Impact Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes students from across the state who are currently making an impact in their local community and will transfer those efforts to the UT Austin campus and in the community.

Moore serves as the Irving High senior class president and is currently ranked at the top of her class with a 103.1 GPA, but her excellence doesn’t stop there. She has maintained her GPA while staying involved in various clubs and organizations on campus including theater, academic decathlon, National Honor Society, interact club, Future Health Professionals (HOSA), graphic design and art club. 

“I am impressed by Madelyn’s dedication to academic excellence,” says Irving High AP Psychology teacher Ludwig Binas. “She will have a bright future.”

Moore credits her best friends, Ngan Huynh, Vanessa Rodriguez and Wendy Cortina, as being a huge support on this journey. 

“You can’t do it alone,” says Moore. “It’s good to have people around who have your best interest.”

While Moore says she’s sad to be apart from her close friends, she’s looking forward to starting her college career. 

“I’m excited to go somewhere new and explore different activities outside of school,” she adds. 

Moore plans to major in neuroscience due to her interest in physiology.

“I’m interested in learning how behaviors are impacted by people’s environments,” says Moore. “It’ll also be a useful degree to have in case I decide to go into the medical field.”

Whatever she chooses, we know that Madelyn will succeed. 

“Madelyn only sees possibilities in every situation,” says Irving High student leadership advisor Lucy Lucey. “She can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.”