After we passed around two boxes of Kleenex, starting with me, the staff here is just very happy for me. They know and feel that this is a great opportunity for me, and so because of that, they have wished me the best.

It's a very small group of students nationwide who win a Merit Scholarship. It's an indication of a student who is very academically talented and has the potential for success in a very rigorous college environment.

Winners are candidates (who) have the strongest record of academic accomplishments and the biggest potential for college.

(That weekend) is my birthday weekend. One of my staff reminded me this morning. I've just been so focused on Decatur and Dodge City, I forgot about it.

The Achievement Scholarship Award was originally founded during the 1960s Civil Rights Act and is specifically for African-American high school students. It's a much smaller program but operates in a very parallel way.

We'll work on getting everyone to feel very positive about the schools and the community. That will take some time. I need to get to know people first.

People have really been nice in calling and sharing their concern.