By Noah Britton
Each morning before dawn, Clifvette Webb takes a bus from Newnan to Georgia State University's downtown Atlanta campus—more than an hour commute each way.
In those early hours before class, Webb studies for the LSAT, taking practice tests and reviewing her notes. She also studies Latin, works on her thesis or reads for her classes.
Her dedication and outstanding academic record made Webb, a senior philosophy major, the ideal candidate for the 2018 Honors College Parents Club Award. The $500 scholarship, given each semester, is more than a financial benefit for Webb. It also validates her work as a student and enables her to devote more time to school at a critical point in her college career.
As a philosophy major, Webb wants to apply larger questions of ethics to her interest in law. A biomedical ethics class her junior year sparked Webb’s interest in the particular field of health law. The class delved into discussion about the opioid addiction crisis in the United States and heard stories from case workers.
“I’ve always been interested in how we deal with health. In that class, I actually got a more in-depth, first-hand experience,” Webb said.
In addition to her studies, Webb has to make time to work.
“I’m putting myself through college,” she said. “I saved from junior year of high school. I would save 80 percent of my check each time I got paid, and then over the summer before I started college, I saved 100 percent of my check.”
The Parents Club Award eased financial pressure placed on Webb by tuition costs.
“This semester has been pretty rough,” Webb said. “I didn’t even know how I was going to take care of things…I think [the Parents Club Award] covered the rest of my tuition."
Receiving the scholarship also changed Webb's perception of her own skills and abilities in the classroom.
“The scholarship meant more to me than the money that came out of it because it was my first scholarship” Webb said. “It helped me realize that I am worth getting a scholarship, and there was someone willing to help me out. It meant a lot.”