Photo courtesy of Harper Bell

Alfa Insurance awarded a $1000 scholarship to Harper Bell, a graduate of Pell City High School.

Bell was one of 100 to receive this award. Students are considered eligible for the scholarship based on academics, participation in school, volunteer work, work experience and future goals.

“These students represent the future of our state and our nation, and we are proud to invest in their education,” said Alfa Insurance President Jimmy Parnell. “We feel certain we’ll see a great return on this investment, because our scholarship recipients go on to do great things.”

Bell is an incoming freshman of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She plans to obtain a degree in biomedical science. Her passion and excitement come from her admiration of her parents, who both work in radiology at UAB Hospital.

Bell has already begun working on her degree ahead of her freshman year, giving her an advantage to start working on her major.

“They planted the seed of interest in human body systems, and I’m so excited that I finally have gotten through most of my prerequisites required to attend the classes that focus on biomedical science,” said Bell.

With this scholarship, she is most looking forward to buying books and a molecule kit for an organic chemistry class. She is thankful that she will have more time to devote to her studies and volunteer work instead of working a job to afford college expenses.

“The human body is so complex and we’re learning new things every day, so I can’t wait to dive into that,” said Bell.

Bell shared that incoming freshmen need to be ready for the commitment it takes to apply for and win scholarships. She shared that the hard work will eventually pay off and provide a sense of relief for the future.

“At first, it seems daunting and sometimes unenjoyable, but you just have to be motivated to put in the work on the front end to save yourself a lot of strife later,” said Bell.

In its eighth year, the Alfa Foundation Scholarship Program has awarded $750,000 in

scholarships, which may be used toward tuition, fees, books or supplies. Applications open annually in November and close Jan. 31.