A few classes at North but involved in almost every extracurricular activity North could offer. Top in the 2014 class and finishing out impressively strong. Mikolina Lowe is an example that hard work does pay off. In the face of adversity, Lowe has prevailed.

High school was a big change for any middle school student. A bigger school, new faces to see, new names to be learned. Close friends become distant and everything changes, but for Lowe, it went just about the way she predicted.

“I knew that I would get good grades and have a high GPA because I wouldn’t accept anything else from myself. I knew that I would have to work hard to achieve that goal and sometimes I would get very little sleep in order to get an A. I predicted that I would go to college because I wanted to go for myself and I knew I would do whatever it took to do so,” Lowe said.

The unknown helped Lowe build her drive for success. “I can’t predict the future and what lies ahead,” Lowe said. Her constant academic focus was also followed with regret. The constant involvement with school lead to less time with a dear friend. “I have had many regrets in my life but, I always try to learn from them. The biggest regret while I have been in high school, would be not spending as much time with my grandma as I would have liked to. I wish I had spent more evenings with her instead of spending my time on extra circulator activities, homework, and friends,” Lowe said.

Through trouble times, Lowe had a go to person: Mrs. Castagnoli. “I have looked up to her with great admiration as she has inspired me to challenge myself, work hard and to achieve my goals. She has not only been my math teacher but, an influential role model teaching me her guidance and knowledge,” said Lowe.

Lowe’s major push for success came from home. Actions that she couldn’t control but she could only control her own. Her father’s negative actions fueled her to achieve great accomplishments. “My dad’s drug addiction has not had a negative impact on me…It pushes me to want an education and to have a career that I love instead of having a job like my mom has had to do in order to support us,” Lowe said. Her family has taught her to take advantage of her opportunities.

Lowe was named one of 106 students to receive the 2014 Horatio Alger National Scholar. It awards her a $21,000 Scholarship given to students who have shown academic acheivement, leadership potential and commitment to use their degree to service others. The Horatio Alger National Scholars also paid for a trip to the National Conference in Washington D.C. Along with that, Lowe has been awarded an abundant amount of scholarahips, enough for almost four years of tuition.

In the fall, she will be attending the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. There she will study microbiology with an emphasis on marine science. Her quest to find the perfect school for her started with a find the best internship.

“I found Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida that accepted undergraduates to intern. University of South Florida is only 40 minutes away from it.” With USF so close, it looked like a perfect fit for her. “I looked closer into USF and liked their campus, marine science, and microbiology programs,” she said.