Metro Atlanta nursing student racks up 75k in scholarship money in SEC halftime contest

ATLANTA — A University of West Georgia student won $75,000 in scholarship money during a SEC Championship game halftime contest. Chemari Reeves, a junior nursing major, won big during the SEC Championship.

The annual contest, which is sponsored by the Dr Pepper company, has become a highlight for many during halftime of football championship conference games. The contest requires participants to throw footballs through large Dr Pepper cans several yards away while timed. The person who makes the most successful throws in the allotted time is the winner.

Reeves, who is studying to become a future frontline worker, needed some help to prepare for the contest. The University of West Georgia community stepped in to assist. The staff at the university built a replica of the game for her to practice. The school’s football team donated footballs for her to use in practice for the big day.

“I was very nervous, just lots of nerves,” said Reeves as she discussed participating in the contest. " I was chosen out of more than 100,000 people.”

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She placed as runner-up and won a prize of $75,000.

Reeves said she will use the money to finish her studies at University of West Georgia and continue on for a master’s degree in her dream program at Emory University in Atlanta. She aims to participate in their neonatal practitioner program.

Neonatal nursing holds a special place in her heart. She said those nurses and their kindness are what inspired Reeves to get into the field.

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