Most high school students give priority to attending football games, dances and just having fun. Most are not like Allison Lastinger, who loaded her schedule with difficult classes and visited several foreign countries. The future WVU freshman is now reaping the benefits of pushing academics to the limit.

Lastinger graduated from MorgantownHigh School in May 2002 after completing a rigorous schedule that included seven advanced placement (AP) classes. She was named the female 2002 West Virginia AP State Scholar, and West VirginiaUniversity has awarded her a Bucklew Scholarship, which includes full tuition coverage, room and board, and a stipend for books and other expenses.

She could have started her studies at WVU this past August; instead, she delayed enrolling in the University to spend a year studying abroad in Turkey. She plans to pursue a double major in biology and psychology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences beginning in August 2003.

“I am very excited to attend WVU ,”Lastinger says.”I have always liked science and enjoy working with people. I think becoming a psychiatrist would be a perfect blend of the two.”

Created by The College Board, the AP program provides high school students the opportunity to obtain college credit with advanced high school classes. Some of the classes offered are in the English language, English literature, calculus, Spanish language, European history and U.S. history. At the end of each coarse the students take a test evaluating what they have learned. The results are sent to each students prospective colleges and transfer to college credits.

Lastinger put herself above the rest by successfully completing seven AP classes. On the exam that concludes each course, she received perfect scores of five on five of the exams and scored fours on the remaining two. A score of three or above on the exam is needed for the course to count for college credit.

The Morgantown native won the AP State Scholar award by having the highest average grade on the most exams.

“I was honored to receive the award. I feel that the support of my family and friends helped me to work hard in high school,”Lastinger says.”My parents, both being professors at WVU , always taught me to value education.”

Currently, Lastinger is in Istanbul, Turkey, attending a Turkish high school and studying the culture. She lives with a Turkish family and goes site-seeing often. She previously has traveled to France and Italy with her family.

“Many people look down on taking a year off before you go to college. I think just the opposite. It is such a great cultural experience. I am learning so much about other cultures by living in Turkey,”Lastinger says.

Living in a culturally diverse home has also added to Lastingers desire to learn about other cultures. Her mother, Valerie, is a native of France and her father, Michael, is American. Both cultures and both languages are part of their household. Both parents are professors of French language, literature and culture.

Lastinger said that the benefits of the Bucklew scholarship �€along with the quality of the biology and psychology programs �€played a role in her decision to attend WVU over many other colleges and universities that would have welcomed her on their campus. Bucklew Scholarships are awarded annually to 15 in-state students who have a minimum high school grade point average of 3.8 and scored at least 30 on the ACT or 1340 on the SAT . The scholarships provide for tuition, room and board, and book expenses over four years. Bucklew scholars also receive a $1,500 stipend annually.

“These awards and scholarships are very humbling, however, I feel that they are not the only measure of success,”she says.