County student becomes Horatio Alger scholar by overcoming adversity

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas --Like Zig Ziglar once said, ”Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful," and no one exemplifies this better than Horatio Alger scholar, Serenity Armstrong, of Conroe High School.

It was just a couple of years ago that Serenity found herself thrust into the role of parenting a parent who was addicted to drugs. Just fourteen at the time, she was trying to budget the family’s meeger income in order to pay the bills and buy the groceries, and in addition to doing the grocery shopping and planning the meals, she was attending school. If things weren’t hard enough for one so young, they were constantly on the move.

“We didn’t have a permanent home,” said Armstrong. “My mother and I lived sixteen different places in one year.”

How do you dig yourself out of a bad situation when the bottom looks up?

“I didn’t know how to improve the situation.” said Armstrong. “I just knew I could make better choices than my mother could.”

Like every concerned parent, Serenity had a heart-to-heart talk with her mother, and asked her if she was going to change. After getting the “I’m the parent and you’re the child. I make the rules” speech, the young girl confided in a friend’s mother, who called CPS.

“I didn’t know there was a way out, I just found a way out,” added Armstrong.

For persevering and becoming an exemplary student, Serenity Armstrong was awarded the Horatio Alger Scholarship which honors the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity, and to emphasize the importance of higher education. The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization founded in 1947, and named for Horatio Alger, the 19th-century author of hundreds of dime novels in the ‘rags-to-riches’ genre, extolling the importance of perseverance and hard work.

The association gives the annual Horatio Alger Award and scholarships to exceptional students who represent the organization’s ideals. It describes itself as the largest provider of need-based scholarships in the United States. All scholarships are funded by the generosity of the members of the Horatio Alger Association members who come from all professions: the arts and entertainment world, politics, sports, technology, and more. Many of whom are founders and CEOs of major corporations.

Of the thousands who applied for the scholarship, only 106 were awarded in 2014; five were Texans, and Serenity Armstrong is the only recipient from Montgomery County. In addition to receiving a $21,000 scholarship, the 106 were given an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C., to tour the national monuments and meet such noted figures as Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, and other members of the Horatio Alger Association.

Serenity had the opportunity to have lunch with one of them, Texan, R.C. Slocum, the past football coach for Texas A&M and College Football Hall of Famer. She also took a ‘selfie’ with another member, Tom Selleck. Memories of a lifetime to offset the misery of her short life to date. The 2014 class of scholars will have regular reunions, their own Facebook page, and were encouraged to stay in touch. No doubt they’ll become lifelong friends. A support system for those who have had more than their share of adversity.

The past couple of years have provided Serenity with a much needed respite: a loving foster family and good role models. She’s the oldest sibling in the Hubert family of Montgomery County, with a younger sister, and two even younger brothers.

“I’m now a role model for them,” said Armstrong.

She gives advice to her foster siblings, her future children, and children everywhere who are faced with adversity.

“Don’t give up. If I had given up, I wouldn’t be here now” added Armstrong. “I’ve been through so much. It’s made me really strong. I’ve worked really hard to get what I have.”

Fortunately, life has improved significantly for Armstrong. After parental rights were signed over, Serenity became a permanent member of the Hubert family on April 8 of this year, and has become acclimated to a family environment.

“The best part is that I now have a family. We go to family reunions, and we do things as a family,” said Armstrong. “The hardest part was adjusting to the structure. All my life I’ve had no structure, no rules; I did as I pleased. I had to get use to working within a structured family life.”

Apparently she has adjusted very well. She’ll graduate from high school on May 31, and start college in July; commuting to classes at Sam Houston State University. For the first couple of years she’ll be focusing primarily on the prerequisites, although she has already completed her college English and History college courses. After two years she will then transfer to Texas A&M University, where the Horatio Alger scholarship funds will be matched, and study biomedical science in preparation for medical school. She plans to become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. Why is she postponing the transition to living on campus for her degree plan? One of those structured family rules; she can’t live on campus until she’s 18 years old. You see, she’s only 16 years of age.

By her own admission, Armstrong stated that the year so far has been amazing.

“I can't wait to see what other amazing experiences she has,” said foster mom, Bonnie Hubert.

The future looks bright for Serenity, and she wants to ensure that it remains that way, for herself and her future offspring.

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they have a good life, and that I’ll support them,” said Armstrong. “I just want them to be happy.”