Daniel Anderson's life changed dramatically during his time at Mount Zion High School. Despite struggling with bullying and getting in fights when he was young, he rose to become an award-winning student known for his quiet leadership.
Today, Anderson has been selected as the Mount Zion winner of the AJC Cup, a scholarship given to exceptional high schoolers in the metro Atlanta since 1927.
[Read more: 5 award-winning Atlanta students going to Ivy League schools]
His story as a student didn't start well. Anderson said he had always struggled to get by in school as a kid because he was "quiet." He said he was bullied at other schools and was in some fights.
In the fifth grade, he started attending Mount Zion and was shocked at how nice the students and teachers were.
“I don’t remember much, except that I expected to not be liked and instead people talked to me,” Anderson tells the AJC. “They wanted to be my friends.”
When he won the AJC Cup, school principal Tracey Barrow wrote admiringly of the man he had become since arriving.
“I have been Daniel's principal for the past four years and you could not find a better young man,” she says. “He is a mentor to all my freshmen athletes. All of my underclassmen look up to Daniel. Daniel excels in everything he does. He is truly deserving of this prestigious award.”
Anderson’s work as a mentor almost comes as a surprise to him.
“I didn’t expect that to happen, I didn’t want that to happen, but it happened,” he said.
The senior told the AJC he focused on answering freshmen’s questions about sports and class.
“I didn’t really think anything of it,” Anderson said. “Now and then people tell me they look up to me.”
Anderson has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon. He said he plans to study engineering.
The soon-to-be collegiate athlete thanked his football and wrestling coaches and partners. He cited Willie Sizemore, his wrestling partner; coaches Allen Newton, Barry Rollins, Keith Holloway, Michael Cleek; and principal Tracey Barrow for particularly helping him.
Read more AJC Cup coverage at our hub. You can also find out what 7 useful qualities helped the AJC Cup winners grow and succeed.
About the Author
