“When they told me I was a finalist, I yelled so loud that the landscape workers quit blowing their leaves from concern,” said Jarrius Adams, who won the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway competition over winter break.
Adams is a public policy leadership major at Ole Miss. He was sitting in his French 111 class at around 1:20 p.m. when he got the big news. Three weeks later, he was on a flight headed to Indianapolis for the competition.
The giveaway took place during the Big 10 Championship Game between Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin Dec. 3. As winner of the competition, he was given $100,000 to use toward tuition.
Adams made a short video describing how he would change the world to enter the competition, and he rallied votes for his video.
Adams said he wanted college students to have better education and easier access to voter registration. Out of all the applicants, only 16 finalists were selected from across the country, and only two made it to the football field.
During half-time, the two contestants were challenged to throw 30 footballs into a Dr Pepper trashcan.
When he found out the competition would involve footballs, Adams said he knew exactly what to do.
“I went and talked to Ross Bjork, and I told him that I had been selected as a finalist and that the final competition would involve throwing footballs,” Adams said. “He was very excited for me, and he asked me what he could do to help. I told him that I just wanted to borrow a couple footballs.”
Over Thanksgiving break, Adams practiced throwing the football with his brother, Matthew Adams, every day.
Adams won by throwing 11 footballs in 30 seconds.
Jarrius’ mother, Taqunna Adams, said she had mixed feelings throughout the competition.
“I had confidence that he would win, but at the same time, I was nervous,” his mother said. “When he won, I cried. I remember sitting in the stands and thinking, ‘This is unbelievable.’”
Ryan Upshaw, who knows Jarrius from the Lambda Sigma honor society, said Adams earned his scholarship through hard work.
“I can say that this could not have happened to a more deserving young man,” Upshaw said. “He is a natural born leader, and I cannot wait to see the impact that Jarrius makes on the university and the state of Mississippi.”
Although Adams has battled an autoimmune diagnosis from an early age, he said he refuses to let it interrupt his goals.
In the future, he plans to use his public speaking skills to rebuild the education system so all students can access free and public education.
Adams says he will go to law school with his scholarship and pursue becoming a political analyst or a CEO of a big company.
When it comes to scholarships, he encourages all students to apply.
“Everyone has a story. It’s all about how you tell your story to others; that’s what matters,” Adams said. “The application process may seem long, but you never know what the outcome will be. You may end up receiving a phone call, just like I did, with news that could change your life forever,” he said.
