PCHS Bulletin – Amelia Capellan
Date Published - April 30, 2026
To recap, the Golden Herald Awards took place on April 9 at the SCF Neel Performing Arts Center. 29 seniors from Parrish Community High School were in attendance to earn recognition for their achievements in their respective categories.
Maya Uralil and Anna Kennedy won in the speech and art categories respectively. Below are additional interviews about their success and advice to future recipients:
Uralil felt joy and excitement as she was announced the winner for the speech category despite the nerves she had felt earlier, “I was really excited when I heard my name get called up, I think I was definitely really surprised more than I was excited. When I was waiting to hear who the winner was, I was definitely nervous.”
She prepared for the Golden Herald interview through mock questions with Mr. Woodruff, which helped eliminate mistakes and prepare questions that would be asked.
“It turned to be the questions that they were asking so we had little mock interviews in the library and I tried to be as confident as I can, make good eye contact, and try to get all my mistakes out during that interview so for the real interview I would be focused and not mess up.” Ualil states.
Uralil said the hardest part of the process was creating a resume, since all experiences since 9th grade should be included which can be a lot to remember and they must relate to the category you are competing for.
Her advice for students looking to participate in Golden Herald or other scholarships was to “really put yourself out there, join as many clubs as you can and see what you like and don't like. That way when you apply to those scholarships its easier because you learn how to make connections and how to network and overall improve your leadership skills.”
Anna Kennedy was the winner of the music category and was very proud of herself for the achievement and all the hard work she had put in for the last four years of high school.
“I felt really honored and incredibly excited to know that I genuinley cared about and enjoyed doing throughout my four years of high school was recognized and that it meant so much to our community, it was such a great honor.” Kennedy States.
She was involved with the choir programs at PCHS and with a worship program at her church which is another area where she was involved with music and added to her Golden Herald resume.
To prepare for her Golden Herald interview, she spoke with her father and Daniel Bradshaw, principal of PCHS, who were able to give her tips on speaking and interview processes and give advice.
Kennedy identified the toughest part of the process as waiting and self-doubt, which increased the surprise of being declared a winner.
“The toughest part was the waiting, it was really hard second guessing myself and thinking what I did wasn't good enough for it and I was excited to even be recognized as a candidate. The moment that I knew I was so excited.”
Her advice to students applying for Golden Herald in the future and other scholarships was,
“I would encourage them to do whatever they can just to get out into the community, our community loves to give back so if you pour your heart out they're right there to support you as well. Do not be afraid to do different things or what other people might be doing, sometimes we all like to go for the same activities but putting yourself out to serve and lead.”