Lyndon, VT: Eli Hooker was recently announced as the School Winner for the Heisman High School Scholarship for Lyndon Institute. The Heisman High School Scholarship program leverages the reputation of the Heisman Memorial Trophy as a symbol of great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. It celebrates and rewards outstanding scholar-athletes who understand that the most important victories happen not only on the field, but also in their schools and communities.

Eli is a current senior at Lyndon Institute, where he is enrolled in the Lyndon Learning Collaborative, a partnership between Lyndon Institute and Northern Vermont University (NVU) that provides the opportunity for eligible Lyndon Institute juniors and seniors to obtain up to two full years of college academic credit through college-level courses offered by NVU. He loves being on the college campus as well as the challenge of the classes that have been offered to him. In addition, he is a multi-sport athlete, having participated in football and basketball, with an especially strong passion for baseball. As a three-year student council member and four-year student representative at LI, Eli is also a leader in his school community.

Determined to find a path for himself that would ensure a college education, Eli joined the Upward Bound program housed at the Northern Vermont University Lyndon campus. He has been an active participant in the program for the past four years and has worked hard to tap into his own potential and establish a path that will lead him to a college education. Eli has dedicated his entire high school career to future planning, college tours, leadership opportunities, college and career research, getting involved in the community and school, and taking a very rigorous college preparatory coursework. This is exactly what a college bound student needs to do to be successful and it will pay off in the form of college acceptances and scholarships for college.

Upward Bound is one of the federally funded TRIO educational opportunity programs, and supports students from modest-income backgrounds who are often the first in their families to attend college.