Tatiyahna Blakely was one of 36 students chosen to receive the prestigious Jefferson Scholarship, and she will continue being a Cavalier when attending the University of Virginia in the fall.

Blakely, 17, is a senior at Lakeland High School, and she started the process for the full-ride scholarship in December. The total value of the scholarship will exceed $150,000, including room and board, tuition, books, supplies and personal expenses.

“It was so stressful,” Blakely said. “I am so excited though.”

Blakely was introduced to the scholarship after being nominated by the high school guidance counselor, Mrs. Williams.

Students hoping for the scholarship must be nominated a representative from an eligible school before applying.

After applying, Blakely went through multiple regional interviews before being one of three students chosen from a pool of 50 from the region that was invited to Charlottesville to attend a four-day intensive at UVA.

“We had to write an essay, take a math and logical reasoning test, do an interview, do extemporaneous speaking and attend three formal dinners,” Blakely said.

While the competition was stressful, Blakely found herself enjoying the experience and falling in love with the historic campus. Blakely had the opportunity to sit in on classes during the four-day trip, and she was exposed to students in multiple majors.

Prior to winning the scholarship, Blakely had applied to 15 schools, and UVA wasn’t originally on the list.

“I drank the Kool-Aid,” Blakely said. “I was surprised because I started with a list of ‘never’ schools, but Mrs. Williams told me to give it a try. I have her to thank for all of this.”

Part of the allure to Charlottesville was the locals who loved living in their city and the “sweet food scene,” Blakely said.

She isn’t set on a major, but she has a few ideas of what she could see herself doing while being a Cavalier. She plans on, possibly, majoring in biochemistry because of her interest in genetics. With a biochemistry degree, Blakely would continue with her education and ultimately become a medical researcher.

But she has other ideas for her academic career as well, because UVA offers a five-year chemistry program that would allow her to graduate in five years with a master’s degree.

Thankfully, no matter what academic program Blakely participates in, she won’t spent four years on one degree.

Along with being a Jefferson Scholar, she is also the only Suffolk Public Schools student this year to receive her associate degree from Paul D. Camp Community College before graduating from high school, thanks to the Dual Enrollment program.

“If I do biochemistry, I will definitely double major, but the chemistry program won’t take me the full five years,” Blakely said.

Blakely plans on keeping a full load the same way she did during her high school career.

Along with getting an associate degree, a high school diploma and participating in the scholarship competition, Blakely was also dancing almost every night at RPM dance studio.

She regularly had all-nighters in order to get all of her work completed for both high school and PDCCC.

“Paul D. Camp was so accommodating. I get done with dance and get home by 9 p.m. So, I take one or two online classes,” Blakely said.

She also participated in the Upward Bound program and took summer session classes at the college’s Franklin campus.