2017 Financial Hardship Scholarship Winner

Bond & Botes, P.C. is proud to announce the winner of our 2017 Financial Hardship Scholarship: Telvin J. Miller. Mr. Miller graduated from Wenonah High School  earlier this year and is currently attending the University of South Alabama. The $2,000 Bond & Botes scholarship will help covers some of Telvin’s college tuition costs.

Left to right: Robert Reese, Telvin Miller, Brad Botes, and Suzanne Shinn

About Telvin J. Miller

Telvin’s High School experience was no easy feat. He sacrificed a “normal” high school life of spending time with friends for balancing school work, football, a part time job, and helping raise his younger siblings.

With these challenges came many achievements. He excelled in math tournaments for 8 years, was a top 10 student in his graduating class, and even helped his football team make it to the Alabama 5A State Championship game. He realizes that although he has faced adversity throughout his life, those circumstances made him who he is today, and he would never change that.

Telvin’s Football Career

Telvin was an outstanding high school athlete and was selected to be the captain of his varsity team during his senior year at Wenonah High  School. That season Telvin rushed for over 1100 yards and 10 touchdowns, and that’s just on offense! He also recorded 42 solo tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss.  According to a scouting report on AL.com covering Wenonah High School vs. Beauregard in the Class 5A championship game, Telvin was one of the shortest players on the field, but “he was also one of the toughest. And if you miss a tackle, he'll prove that he's also one of the most talented.”

On a personal note, I had the opportunity to watch Telvin play football last fall when his Wenonah team defeated Briarwood Christian High School to advance to the state championship game.  My three kids all participated in athletics at and graduated from Briarwood Christian. Both sons played football for the school.   My oldest son and I watched from the stands on Nov. 25, 2016 as Telvin and his teammates knocked Briarwood Christian out of the playoffs.

Little did I know that I would later award our 2017 Financial Hardship Scholarship to Wenonah’s  speedy and talented #2!  Briarwood Christian Head Football Coach Fred Yancey shared his thoughts on Telvin: "As the coach of Briarwood Christian School, it is always encouraging to see young men excel on the football field through hard work and great effort.  Last season, Telvin Miller stood out as a player playing with purpose.  He led his team to the State Championship game.  It is even more encouraging to know that a fine athlete also values a great education and is willing to make it happen with the same hard work and great effort that he poured into his football team. Keep up the good work Telvin."

While Telvin’s stats speak for themselves, he was grateful for much more. Being appointed as his team’s captain motivated him to become a better leader, helped him learn how to deal with adversity, and how to overcome challenges. These traits are required of any college student, and Telvin exceeds in these categories.

We’re excited to be able to help fund Mr. Miller’s journey at the University of South Alabama, where he will be pursuing a B.A. in Physical Education. To learn more about the scholarship, please contact us.