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More than a scholarship for Samarian Kingston

More than a scholarship for Samarian Kingston
Hitchcock ISD Communications

Samarian Kingston wasn’t expecting anything other than a normal practice day when she showed up for dance on February 6, 2023. Little did she know, she was in for quite the surprise.

Pulling up to Hitchcock High School at the same time Samarian was getting ready for dance practice were members of KPRC 2, American Furniture Warehouse, and Samarian’s family. Everyone was finding their places, preparing to gift Samarian with something she wasn’t expecting in the least: a 2023 KPRC 2 Senior Scholarship.

The KPRC 2 Senior Scholarship program rewards just 20 high school seniors across more than 50 regional public school districts in the state of Texas each year with $2,500 for their college expenses. All students selected for scholarships had to be nominated by their high schools. Districts from Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller Counties were eligible for this scholarship.

“I was in complete shock,” said Kingston regarding the surprise. “Everyone knew; my parents, my coach, my teammates, everyone knew and I just couldn’t believe it.”

Whether she could believe it or not didn’t change the fact that clearly there was an entire team of people behind Samarian who did believe that she deserved to be one of the 20 seniors who received this scholarship for 2023. “I just knew I had to nominate her for this scholarship,” said Nicole Kimble, PASS aide and dance coach at Hitchcock High School. “Her drive and determination mixed with her compassion for other people made her such a great candidate for this scholarship. I can’t think of someone more deserving of this than her, and clearly I’m not alone in that thought.”

While boasting a rather impressive resume, including a 3.8 GPA, being ranked 5th out of 109 students at Hitchcock High School, dance captain, the National Honor Society, president of the high school’s Christian volunteer group Students Standing Strong, member of the collegiate honor society Phi Beta Kappa and an Associates Degree from College of the Mainland coming on May 13th of this year, Kingston’s personal story and her drive to help others is what has captured everyone’s attention.

Kingston was born on December 5, 2004. After her birth, it was quickly discovered that she had a medical condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome, or ABS. ABS occurs when the bands of the amniotic sac get tangled around a growing fetus. Side effects of this condition can range from mild skin indentation to clubbed feet, fused fingers or toes or a cleft palate. In the most severe cases, it can cause congenital amputation, missing limbs, or a blocked blood supply that can prove to be fatal.

In her case of ABS, Kingston was born with clubbed feet. Though doctors initially stated that she would be confined to a wheelchair for the duration of her life, Kingston’s body had other plans when she miraculously began walking. This would prove to be the start of her plans to give back and help others.

“By seventh grade, after having the corrective surgeries I had, I realized that I can be a doctor too,” Kingston said. “I can impact and change the world because I’ve been a patient before, I’ve been there at the scary doctor’s office before. So with that experience, I can help other people and make them feel like they’re not necessarily at the doctor because the doctor’s office truly can be a scary place. Not a lot of people like going to the doctor, but I feel like I can be the doctor that people might actually like coming to the doctor’s office for.”

With that being said, Kingston shared she’s been accepted and will attend the University of Houston in the fall of 2023. She plans to major in Biology, with her ultimate goal in mind of becoming a Pediatric Orthopedic Doctor.

Even though she’ll be two years ahead of the game by the time the fall 2023 semester rolls around, Samarian stated she is extremely grateful for the scholarship from KPRC 2.

“It’s [the scholarship] going to help a lot, especially because medical school is very expensive
and overall, just going to college is very expensive. A lot of people come out of college with
debt, and I don't want to have to pay a ton of money in loans while I’m trying to be a doctor. I
don’t want to receive my first paycheck and have to have it all go towards my student loans.”

Kingston is the first student from Hitchcock High School to win a KPRC 2 Senior Scholarship.

“It feels amazing to be the first person from here to win this scholarship. I know Hitchcock is a
small community and this not only brings representation to myself but it brings representation to
the community that I grew up in, so I’m glad to have had an impact in that way. I hope next year
and the year after and so on, other students from Hitchcock will win this scholarship as well.”

Hitchcock High School, Hitchcock Independent School District, and the entire community of
Hitchcock is proud of Samarian and can’t wait to see how she becomes a #WorldChanger.

To view KPRC 2’s scholarship presentation to Samarian, visit http://bit.ly/40Z2aUs.

About the KPRC 2 Scholarship Program
KPRC 2 and American Furniture Warehouse are partners in rewarding high school seniors who
excel in academics, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and more. KPRC 2 is the NBC
affiliate for Houston, TX. Other KPRC properties include Click2Houston.com and MeTV.