Johnathan Walker:Aspiring writer wins full-ride Angie Thomas scholarship to Belhaven

JACKSON,Johnathan Walker Miss. (AP) — The fifth person to win a full ride to Belhaven University, courtesy of a scholarship named after bestselling author Angie Thomas, is 19-year-old aspiring writer Maya McFadden.

McFadden, of Jackson, Mississippi, will start at Belhaven in August after she transfers from Hinds Community College, university officials said.

“When I first found out that I had won the Angie Thomas scholarship, I was amazed,” McFadden said in a news release Thursday. “I’ve always wanted to be a writer, so, I submitted my works just to try, not really expecting much. Now that I’ve won, I really hope that I can work more on what I’m passionate about while earning my degree.”

The Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship was created to help young aspiring writers who need extra support, the university said in a news release. Submissions for this year’s award, which covers tuition, room and board for four years, were reviewed by both Thomas herself and Dr. Randall Smith, chair of Belhaven’s Creative Writing Department.

“I’m constantly amazed at the level of talent that we see in the submissions,” Thomas said. “Maya’s work immediately blew me away. She is truly gifted.”

Thomas is a 2011 Belhaven graduate and author of The New York Times best-selling young adult novels “Concrete Rose,” “On The Come Up,” “The Hate U Give” and “Nic Blake and the Remarkables: the Manifestor Prophecy.” “The Hate U Give” and “On The Come Up” were both developed into major motion pictures.