The 32nd recipient of the Sunny Brown scholarship is recent DeRidder High School graduate Will Granger.

Each year, a $10,000 scholarship is awarded to one high school senior thanks to Lou Ceil “Sunny” Brown, a 1938 DeRidder High School graduate. During her lifetime, Brown and her husband experienced enough financial success to set up an estate to endow scholarships.

They formed the Sunny Brown Foundation. This foundation awards two $10,000 scholarships annually, one in their California hometown and one in DeRidder.

“Because Mrs. Brown always remembered her roots, she decided to grant one of the awards to a graduating senior at her alma mater, DeRidder High School,” said Martha Lou Roberts, DeRidder resident.

Granger will be using his $10,000 scholarship to attend Louisiana Tech University. There he will study biomedical

engineering –  a medical field that applies engineering principles to solve biological and medical problems, with a focus on advancing and improving human health and healthcare.

Though he is undecided about what his specialty will be, he knows he wants to go to medical school to become a doctor like his dad.

Naturally, his favorite subjects in school were science and technology. During his time at DeRidder High, he participated in several extracurricular activities. He was in clubs like the Student Council, Beta, National Honor Society, Chess Club and Robotics Club, and played soccer and tennis.

He plans to continue playing tennis recreationally in college and hopes to fill his time with more clubs.

Despite his busy schedule, he graduated high school with a GPA of 4.375.

Granger views earning a higher education as a vital component of his future.

“Earning a college degree is important to me because I understand how significant learning is, and getting my degree is one of the steps in my career plan.”

He is grateful for the Sunny Brown scholarship, as it will help him achieve his educational goals and benefit him by helping him pay for his college tuition and housing costs, he said.

He also received the Louisiana Tech Outstanding Student Scholarship and a DeRidder Rotary Scholarship.

Outside of academic pursuits, Granger like to play sports like tennis, pickleball and volleyball, play the guitar, watch movies and “just hang out with friends.”

The DeRidder Study Club oversees the selection process. Their Sunny Brown Memorial Scholarship Committee works with DeRidder High School to implement the application process.

Four things are considered on the application: GPA, ACT score, a resume and an essay. The DeRidder Study Club Committee selects the top five applicants, which are sent off to the Sunny Brown Board in California for final selection.