COCONUT CREEK, Fla. \u2014 For Juovance Nelson, graduating from high school was about much more than earning a diploma.<\/p>\n
Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n The South Florida teen is the first in his family to attend college, reaching a milestone made possible through years of faith, family support and personal sacrifice.<\/p>\n Now, thanks to the George Snow Scholarship Fund, the Monarch High School graduate will attend Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, where he plans to study ministerial theology with all four years of tuition covered.<\/p>\n \u201cLove is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast,\u201d Nelson said, reciting his favorite Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13:4.<\/p>\n The scripture has become the foundation of his life.<\/p>\n \u201cI know love is the most powerful force on this earth, so I try to go forth and show that every single day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A family united by love<\/p>\n When Nelson was 10 years old, his family\u2019s life changed dramatically after his father suffered a debilitating stroke.<\/p>\n His mother, Lucy Nelson, took on two jobs to support the family. His older brother, Leo, helped by driving him to and from school.<\/p>\n Nelson found his own way to contribute, stepping into the role of part-time caregiver for his father.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just helping him to grow, to be more independent,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n Despite the added responsibilities at home, he excelled in every aspect of his life.<\/p>\n On the football field, Nelson helped lead Monarch High School to a district championship in 2025 as a left guard.<\/p>\n At church, he serves as a youth elder.<\/p>\n In the classroom, he graduated with a 4.0 GPA.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family pushed me a lot to do it, and I owe it to them,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cLook at where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n A life-changing opportunity<\/p>\n That journey caught the attention of the George Snow Scholarship Fund.<\/p>\n After reviewing his application, the organization awarded Nelson two scholarships that will cover the full cost of his college education.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has worked very hard through his high school career and filled out a great application for us,\u201d said Tim Snow, president of the George Snow Scholarship Fund. \u201cIt was kind of a no-brainer for us to want to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to paying for tuition, the scholarship program will provide Nelson with a new laptop, emergency financial assistance, clothing and dorm room essentials as he begins college.<\/p>\n The George Snow Scholarship Fund has helped approximately 4,600 students pursue higher education.<\/p>\n Looking ahead<\/p>\n While leaving home will be difficult for both Nelson and his family, they believe his future is bright.<\/p>\n \u201cI am going to miss him, but God knows everything,\u201d his mother said.<\/p>\n His father offered simple but powerful words of encouragement: \u201cHold on fast. Do not let go.\u201d<\/p>\n Nelson says he plans to carry those words \u2014 along with another passage from his favorite chapter of scripture \u2014 into the next chapter of his life.<\/p>\n \u201cLove never fails.\u201d<\/p>\n As he prepares to leave South Florida for Alabama, Nelson is already focused on the future.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a shadow of a doubt, I know I will be walking on that stage in four years,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m gunning. I\u2019m coming for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n To donate:\u00a0If you\u2019d like to make a monetary donation toward a Good News South Florida story or project,\u00a0click here.<\/a>\u00a0Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the \u201cadditional information\u201d box.To volunteer or submit a story idea:\u00a0If you\u2019d like to volunteer for a Good News South Florida project or would like to submit a story for consideration, email\u00a0goodnews@local10.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Good News South Florida airs Fridays on the Local 10 morning news at 10 a.m. It will encore Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings, beginning at 6 a.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COCONUT CREEK, Fla. \u2014 For Juovance Nelson, graduating from high school was about much more than earning a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-320730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}