Tuscola High School seniors Andrew DelBene and Jonah Ottie have been named Goodnight Scholarship recipients through North Carolina State University.

The Goodnight Scholars Program is for North Carolina students who aspire to study in a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) or a STEM-related discipline at N.C. State University. Students who are accepted into the program receive an annual scholarship valued at $22,000 per year for up to four years.

DelBene and Ottie are the third and fourth Tuscola students to receive the Goodnight Scholarship in the last five years.

Earlier this year, 101 finalists were selected from a pool of nearly 800 candidates from across the state.

Finalists were scored by an application review committee consisting of current and former N.C. State faculty, staff and alumni, as well as industry representatives from around the region.

In March, DelBene, Ottie, and the other finalists traveled to Raleigh to complete in-person interviews.

A few weeks later, Ottie was sitting in his physics class when a Raleigh-based number called his phone. At first, he ignored the call, assuming a telemarketer was attempting to sell him an extended car warranty. The number called a second time, so Ottie asked to step outside the class to answer. Much to his surprise, it was a Goodnight Scholar committee member calling to inform him that he had been selected for the scholarship.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Ottie said with a smile. “My parents were just as excited. They screamed and my mom cried.”

Ottie and DelBene did not see each other that day during school, and DelBene had no idea that Ottie had been notified he was a winner.

DelBene and his friends had just gotten into his car at the end of the school day to head to track practice when he got the call.

“I said ‘thank you’ about a thousand times, and when I hung up the phone my friends and I all yelled and cheered for several minutes,” DelBene said with a laugh. “Needless to say, I had a great track practice that day.”

DelBene will enter N.C. State’s aerospace engineering program this fall.

“If I’m dreaming big, NASA is where I want to work eventually,” DelBene explained. “I remember going to space camp in fifth grade, and everything about it intrigued me.”

DelBene believes aerospace engineering is a logical place for him to land, combining his love for space and his best subject in school, math.

Ottie on the other hand has dreamed of going to N.C. State for years. In eighth grade, he went to the state Science Olympiad competition held at N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.

“After being on Centennial Campus and touring the library, I was sold,” Ottie said. “During high school, I also had several friends from band who went to state, including Adam Wampler, who also received the Goodnight Scholarship.”

Ottie’s interests lie in robotics. After watching the show Battle Bots, Ottie was encouraged to try his hand at building his own robots. He even built a robot that will not release his car keys until he has scanned his wallet; preventing him from leaving his house without his wallet.

“I like the idea of improving current things and designing new machines,” Ottie said. “Robotics is a really wide field, so I don’t know where I’ll end up.”

The Goodnight Scholars Program was established in 2008 out of the philanthropic generosity of North Carolina natives and N.C. State University alumni Dr. Jim Goodnight and Mrs. Ann Goodnight. Dr. Jim Goodnight is the co-founder of global business analytic software at the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Institute. Mrs. Ann Goodnight is director of community relations at the SAS Institute and secretary for the N.C. State University Board of Trustees.

In addition to the scholarship, Goodnight Scholars have access to an assortment of developmental programming focused on their professional and personal growth.

DelBene and Ottie both say they are looking forward to exploring N.C. State’s opportunities like study abroad, internships, and extracurricular clubs.

At Tuscola High School, both boys are members of several clubs and participate in extracurricular activities.

DelBene runs cross country and track and swims. He is on the leadership team and a member of the praise band for the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He is also a math tutor for fellow Tuscola classmates and volunteers at Hazelwood Elementary School.

Ottie plays baritone and bass guitar and is a member of the Tuscola marching band and jazz band. He also mentors Waynesville Middle School band students. Last winter, he was on the school’s swim team, and he plays on the tennis team. During the height of the pandemic, Ottie volunteered at Western Carolina University making masks using 3D printers.

Both students said that their education with Haywood County Schools has prepared them to be successful beyond high school.

“Being able to take AP classes and classes at Haywood Community College while being in high school has helped me learn how to handle heavy workloads,” DelBene said. “I’m also thankful for all the help the guidance counselors gave us with mock interviews.”

Ottie echoed DelBene’s sentiment.

“Throughout school I have been able to rely on my teachers and build great relationships with them,” Ottie explained. “Any time I have had questions in class, I know that I can talk with a teacher about it.”

“These two young men exemplify all of the qualities we strive for at Tuscola,” THS Principal Heather Blackmon said. “They are both well-rounded, highly intelligent, and always willing to give back to their community. I could not be more proud of them, and I am thrilled that such well deserving students have been honored with this prestigious scholarship.”

Submitted by:  Carrie Sutton, HCS Foundation