PINEVILLE, Ky. — Meredith Allen is the pride of Pineville.
The Bell County High School senior is an elite student with a 4.0 GPA and a 32 ACT score, with special success in math and science. She also competes on the school’s varsity tennis and cross-country teams.
But more than anything, she’s a selfless giver, determined to make her community better.
She said her motivation to do that comes from her faith.
“I've grown up in church all of my life, and it's just something that I've always felt the most passionate about," she said. "Without it, I just don't know who I would be, honestly.”
“I've always believed that one of the best ways you can live is a life serving others. Whenever you're given a lot, then that means that you need to give back, too.”
She does that through volunteer work with Americorp, Beta Club, tutoring her peers and what she said she is most proud of: building BCHS’s “First Priority” club, a Christian group dedicated to reinforcing faith and serving the community. She is the group's president.
“I've learned that you cannot devote time to something if you don't love what you're doing," Allen said. "If you want something done, you can't wait for someone to get it done for you.”
Bernie Harrington, her English teacher and yearbook adviser, said he marvels at her ability to accomplish so much.
“Meredith is just an amazing person," Harrington said. "I can give her a task, and she just runs with it. It's almost like having another adult in the room. Sometimes I have to remind myself she's just a kid. She's just a phenomenal person and she's so kind.”
Allen's desire to give back will extend into adulthood. She said she wants to become a doctor and serve the area where she grew up, adding she has heard negative stereotypes about her region and is anxious to dispel them.
"Sometimes people might think it's not a place that you would see someone succeeding," Allen said. "That's something that's very degrading to hear, someone saying, ‘Oh, you don't have a chance because you're from here.'"
"I've just always been motivated to break that barrier. I want people to think differently about the area I come from.”
Allen said she knows southeastern Kentucky faces challenges with medical resources and is determined to be part of the solution. She’s well on her way to doing it, winning State Runner-Up in the Family Medicine Competition for Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA).
"You need those family medicine physicians in that rural area to help because it's not like (in Bell County) we have a cardiologist down the road and then a neurosurgeon on the other side," Allen said. "You need that family medicine physician."
"I love my community, and my community has made me who I am. And sometimes people make me feel like my goals are smaller because I don't want to travel far away, but I personally believe that staying in your area and giving back is a huge goal to have.”
Living a life in service of others makes Allen a deserving High School Scholar. Spectrum News 1 is proud to award her a $1,000 scholarship toward her college education.
