CHARLOTTE — It’s graduation season and Channel 9 is continuing to highlight students as they set sail into their futures. One of those students is first-generation college student Letrell Grady.
“I always felt that I could always use education to get my out of my situation and to put myself in a better place,” he told Channel 9′s Elsa Gillis.
Grady just graduated from Cato Middle College High School, and he’s headed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall with a full ride. He’s a recipient of the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship.
“When it comes to Chapel Hill, I am super excited,” Grady said. “I think the community, the networking, the people, the resources, the opportunities in Chapel Hill are really just endless.”
That excitement for education comes from his grandmother, who died in February. She raised Grady, along with his uncle, after his mom passed away when he was just 3 years old.
“She instilled the importance of education into me and that honestly just really spoke volumes with the amount of hard work she made me do. Showed me that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work,” he said. “And I really learned that if I just continue to work hard I can really get wherever I want.”
>> In the video at the top of the page, Gillis shares how Grady is opening the door to a bright, new chapter in his life.
(WATCH BELOW: ‘My parents’ American Dream’: Student to become first-gen college student)
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