2023 Homecoming Queen Jane Vickers and her family have started The Pike Community Scholarship that will give one student from Pike County full tuition for four years at Troy University.
Vickers is a senior broadcast journalism major from Tallahassee, Florida. Funding this scholarship is deeply personal to Vickers because without Troy, she’s not sure she would have gotten a college experience at all.
In high school, Vickers was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder with many side-effects. The illness forced her to leave school, and she instead pursued a GED, something that made many colleges unattainable to her.
“That was super hard for me just because I was always a good student, and I didn't know what my future was,” Vickers said. “I had low confidence because I didn't know if I was even going to be able to go to college, and Troy really helped me out.”
During her time at Troy University, Vickers dedicated herself to community service and leadership. The list of titles is long and includes multiple positions in The Student Government Association, Panhellenic President and Vice President of External Recruitment, Trojan Ambassador, Miss Walk Hard and more than a dozen others.
In 2022, Vickers founded Community Connections, a mentorship program with the Boys and Girls Club. It was through volunteering that Vickers and her family saw the need for this four-year scholarship.
“I just really, really wanted to do something that would impact Troy after I graduated just like Troy’s impacted me so much,” Vickers said. “After the past couple years of volunteering at different organizations, I saw part of the problems Pike County faces – there's a lot of poverty and a lot of students who I volunteer with who didn't think they were smart because they didn't have access to tutors or different resources, or they didn't think that they were able to go to college because they’re first-generation students.”
To qualify for the scholarship, students need to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and qualify for the FAFSA, and preference will be given to incoming freshmen from Pike County. The deadline to apply for the Pike Community Scholarship is May 1, and it will be awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year.
After graduation, Vickers plans to enroll as a Troy graduate student in the online strategic communication master’s program. She will apply for jobs in Washington D.C., and she hopes to eventually attend law school.
Ultimately, Vickers credits her father for installing in her a desire for goodwill.
“My dad really engraved [giving back to the community] in me when I was young,” Vickers said. “He always talked about how having a career was so important, but in that career, you have to make sure you're also helping other people.
“It's important to put yourself in other people’s shoes, especially in this time and age . . . I just think that's so important for your heart to really understand how you were blessed and how you can use your blessings to help other people.”
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