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Whiz Kid: Andeulazia Hughes-Murdock

Chantilly High freshman wins full scholarship to study in Barcelona this summer.

Name: Andeulazia Hughes-Murdock 

Age: 15 

School:

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Accomplishment: Hughes-Murdock, a Spanish 2 student at Chantilly High, was recently awarded a full scholarship to the La Escuela Preparatoria de Barcelona program in Barcelona, Spain this July.  

Key to Awesomeness: Last year, when she was an eighth grade student at Rocky Run Middle School, Andeulazia Hughes-Murdock applied for the La Escuela Preparatoria de Barcelona summer study abroad program for eighth and ninth graders. She was denied admission. This year, from July 2-28, Andeulazia will not only be in Spain participating in the program, but will do so on a full scholarship from Oxbridge Academic Programs.  

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“I’m proud of her [for] having the courage to apply again after her rejection letter,” said Andeulazia’s mother, Michelle Hughes, “I hope Andeulazia will become fluent in Spanish and continue to study Spanish through both high school and college.” 

Oxbridge Academic Programs awards scholarships based on financial need, academic excellence, extracurricular accomplishments, community service, creativity, character and “the ability to contribute to the programs in the broadest possible sense.” Each summer roughly 10 percent of applicants are awarded either a full or partial scholarship. Andeulazia won a full scholarship covering all program fees, including tuition. 

In July, Andeulazia will be one of about 60 students participating in the La Escuela Preparatoria de Barcelona program, held in Collegi Major Sant Jordi, a popular Barcelona university residence. She will be taking Spanish Language as her major course and Historia y cultura hispánica as her minor course. 

Hughes-Murdock is passionate about the Spanish language, speaks it outside class whenever possible and hopes to follow a career path that will allow her to speak Spanish regularly. In her application essay Andeulazia wrote, “By attending La Escuela Preparatoria de Barcelona, I hope to share my love of Spanish with all of the other students on the campus. In addition, I hope to use my strong self-motivational skills to make myself go beyond what is taught in the classroom and use other resources to find answers to my questions.”  

At Chantilly High School, Andeulazia plays in the orchestra and is a member of the JV softball team. She plans to continue studying Spanish during her remaining high school years and will potentially double major in Spanish and either prelaw or broadcasting in college. 

For now, Andeulazia is focused on improving her Spanish-speaking skills this summer. “Getting into Oxbridge is just the beginning of traveling abroad to study Spanish,” she said, “Hopefully next year I can go to a Spanish-speaking school to learn more about [Spanish] culture.” 

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