Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior Elliot Simpson was named a Horatio Alger National Scholar and will receive a $25,000 scholarship.
Simpson is still in his college search, but he’s impressed with Purdue University-Indianapolis and Clark College, an HBCU in Atlanta. He’s been consulting with his counselor, Karen Olson, since his sophomore year and appreciates her assistance in searching out college majors and schools that have curricula that can work for him.
Simpson knows he wants to major in mechanical engineering because it offers opportunities in a variety of fields, from nuclear engineering to working at Google. He will minor in economics.
Simpson’s scholarship application included a personal essay, and a reflection on a previous Horatio Alger scholarship winner, Bernard A. Harris, the first Black American astronaut to walk in space, and how Harris inspired him.
The scholarship was awarded by the Horatio Alger Association, founded in 1947 to reinforce belief in the American Dream and promote the merits of private enterprise. Horatio Alger was an American author whose stories of young adults in the late 19th century addressed the ideals that hard work could move people from “rags to riches.”
The group will provide Simpson with services throughout his senior year in high school and college tenure, such as financial aid counseling, college selection advising, access to dedicated mentors and free mental health counseling.
At H-F, Simpson is a member of the cross-country team. He usually is a 3-mile competitor. His fastest time is 19:21.
He’s played chess for the past two years and joined the H-F Chess Club this year. Simpson also enjoys playing guitar and was a member of the H-F Guitar Club the past three years.
Simpson is the son of Jerrell and Marc Simpson of Homewood.