Statesman Scholar Meziah Scott

Football has been an escape for Meziah Scott since he was seven-years-old.

“It’s my world away from the world. My peace and happiness,” Scott says. “I put most of my life and time into football. If I’m stressed out, I go out and throw a ball around and then everything is okay.”

The 2021 Petersburg High School quarterback will continue his passion on the field at Western Carolina University in the fall. Unlike most 18-year-olds, however, Scott will begin his freshman year at WCU with 60 college credits.

Scott completed the coursework necessary to graduate from both Petersburg High School and Richard Bland College of William & Mary as part of the College’s Middle College program. It is a partnership with Petersburg City Public Schools that allows eligible students to fulfill their high school requirements while also getting a jump start on college.

“When the prospects of becoming a Middle College student at Richard Bland was introduced to me, it gave me an opportunity to overexceed,” Scott explains. “I looked for that challenge. It’s what I take to the field, and I want it in other areas of my life, especially academically. Richard Bland offered that to me in so many ways.”

RBC’s Middle College program is available to Petersburg High School juniors and seniors who test into college-level Math and English courses. They attend eleventh and twelfth grades on the RBC campus.

While accepting his high school diploma, Scott also earned an Associate of Science degree, thanks to his enrollment in the RBC Middle College program.

Scott ultimately decided to continue his education on a football scholarship at Western Carolina, but his success as a student in RBC’s Middle College program also attracted the attention of several other universities. He was the prototypical student-athlete who earned good grades and excelled athletically.

“It’s an honor and an achievement to graduate from RBC and Petersburg,” Scott says. “The curriculum was challenging but it helped raise my GPA. It also showed people that at a young age you can handle academic responsibilities and a highly academic atmosphere, be successful at sports, and manage life and a social world. “Coaches saw that and were impressed.”

In addition to playing football, Scott will major in Sports Management at WCU’s College of Business. He hopes to become a graduate assistant and work his way up the ranks in the coaching program, secure internships and eventually oversee the careers of athletes.

During his upcoming academic and professional journeys, Scott will apply the work ethic he honed during his studies at as a middle college student at RBC. He will also look to his life-long football mentor, his father Michael Scott, who is the head football coach at Petersburg High School.

Scott highly recommends RBC’s Middle College to any Petersburg student who qualifies for it. He is certain the program thoroughly prepared him to achieve in his next chapters in education and life.

“You go into college ahead of the game,” Scott says about being an RBC Middle College student. “It’s definitely a sacrifice for a long-term goal, but the results are unexplainable. The rewards are unexplainable. You learn to manage your time. The work will pay off if you have the right mindset.”

By Amy Lacey

Watch Meziah Scott’s story at this link