Columbus HS graduates bring in over $19 million in scholarship funds

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Hundreds of students are graduating from area high schools today and throughout the weekend...taking the next step in their future, some to colleges that are tough to get into.

The graduating class for one school in Muscogee County collected over 19 million dollars in scholarships, and some of them plan to attend ivy league schools.

Columbus High, one of the top schools in all of Georgia, kicked off the second night of graduations in Muscogee County. They had more than 200 graduating students, nine of them heading to ivy league schools.

“I’m so excited because I get to go up to DC to Howard University, so go Bison oh but I’m really excited to really get out of Columbus, explore the horizon, you know,” says Tyler Patterson.

It was the last Columbus High School graduation for Dr. Marvin Crumbs, the school’s longtime principal, who’s going to work for another school district. He tells us that “And in their case from the first day sitting in front of a computer doing Zoom they went through a real tough times as did other students around the country when they decided to do was take advantage of the opportunity that was given to them and to make the most of it and all they did like I said is go out and be the best class of Blue Devils ever to step into the halls in Columbus high school,” says Dr.Marvin Crumbs.

I spoke with one graduate who said she was thrilled that all the hard work paid off and is excited to start her next chapter in life.

“I’m going to mercer university to study biology, and CHS has prepared me so well for that.”

Another graduate said tonight is only the beginning, and she’ll be back in class earlier than most.

“Because in a week and a half, I’ll actually be starting a summer semester at Tuskegee University, which is where I’ll be attending, you know for my next 4-5 years because I’m doing an engineering major I’m very excited to be here to have made it this far through pandemic and so everything else,” said Jay’me Barclift.

Columbus High School’s class of 2023 also brought in $19.5 million in scholarship funds.

“More so than anything, it’s a testament to the families that they come from this foundation started at home, and we were given a really, really, really good product, and we just enhanced it a little bit and made them ready for the world, and they’re going to be ready to come back and contribute to this community many times over,” says Dr.Marvin Crumbs