Gulfport High student only one in state to earn Jack Kent Cooke scholarship

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Gulfport Student Emma Helmert is the only student in Mississippi to be awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship.

Emma Helmert was chosen to win the award out of 5,600 students.

“I called my mom immediately. I was like, ‘mom I got Jack Kent Cook’e and she burst out sobbing, crying,” Helmert said.

According to Helmert, with the help of her dad and mom, who is a teacher, she overachieved as a student.

“I encourage my daughter to exceed and whatever she does to do the best. There is no doubt that that is what she will do whether it’s in-state or out-of-state,” Al Don Helmert said.

Since November, the senior has not only been applying to several universities, but she also applied for scholarships to help cover the heavy tuition costs.

“There’s a lot of scholarships out there. There’s everything from someone who is short and 5-foot and if you’re left-handed. You just have to find them. I know I found this one through my school,” Helmert said.

Helmert wants to double major in biomedical engineering and genetics and then go into autism research to help better the world for people with autism.

She plans on studying out of state and has already been accepted to several universities including Mississippi State, The University of Tulsa, and Rice University.

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