Paducah Tilghman High School seniors Abby Brown and Nathaniel Skinner have been selected as School Winners for the Heisman High School Scholarship program. This program honors high school seniors who contribute not only to their classrooms but to their communities. A 28-year tradition, the Heisman Scholarship rewards male and female high school athletes who contribute to the community through service.

After School Winners are picked, these seniors advance to the state-level competition, where one male and one female from each state receive a $1,000 scholarship. Ultimately, one male and one female will be recognized as National Winners, and each will get a $10,000 scholarship.

Senior Abby Brown has been a member of the Paducah Tilghman tennis team since 2017. Her leadership skills and overall skill are shown through the numerous awards received throughout her tennis career, such as the MVP award in 2022 and the Jeff Leeper Best All-Around Player Award in 2021. Along with tennis, Abby has also played on the PTHS volleyball team, assisting the middle school team outside her day-to-day practice.

She is a member of an array of clubs such as FBLA, Beta Club, Interact Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a graduate of Youth Lead Class #11. Recently, Abby was nominated as a senior pep club leader for the Tilghman pep club.

“I think it because I laid it all out there,” said Abby when explaining why she thought she was chosen as a semifinalist for this program. “I talked about the athletics and extracurriculars that have influenced who I am today,” she said.

As a person with a big heart, Abby is overjoyed to be recognized as a school winner. “Balancing academics, athletics, my hobbies and time with my friends and family is difficult so being recognized for that is encouraging,” she said.

“I grew up in a sports-based family, so hard work was instilled in, me which I think showed on the application,” she reflected in a personal interview.

Nathaniel Skinner is a member of the Paducah Tilghman varsity soccer team, Pumas FC, and a leader for Paducah Tilghman’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Throughout his academic career, his leadership and drive have shown throughout his numerous soccer awards, such as the 2021 First District All-District soccer team and the Rising Star award in his first year. In 2021, he was named the offensive player of the year.

Along with his sports career, Nathaniel is known for his involvement in extracurriculars, a few being president of PTHS student Council, a member of the Paducah Bank Teen Ambassador Alumni Advisory Board, a member of the PTHS orchestra, a Tilghman Student Ambassador, a member of Interact Club, pep club, academic team, and secretary for the Sustainability Club. Recently, Nathaniel was named a Rotary student of the month.

“I think I got nominated because of how hard I work and because of the dedication I’ve put into not only sports but my academics,” Skinner said.

Nathaniel explains why this nomination was so important to him: “It means a lot to me because it shows all the hard work that I gave on and off the field paid off. It gives me pride that Tilghman selected me and I hope to be a finalist and make Tilghman proud.”

A hard worker, to say the least, Nathaniel is grateful for the opportunities in front of him due to his dedication to not only his team but his community.