PAGE – To be clear, Parris Adams was always going to accomplish big things in her life, with or without the Flinn Scholarship, but winning the prestigious scholarship will certainly make achieving those dreams a good deal easier. And expand her horizons a little broader.

Adams will attend Northern Arizona University’s Honors College this fall. She has already been awarded a Lumberjack Scholarship which goes to students who have achieved grades of only As and Bs during their four years of high school. The Lumberjack Scholarship will pay for four years of tuition at NAU.

Parris is the daughter of Josh Adams and Kori Fitch-Adams, both of whom are longtime teachers for the Page Unified School District.

The Flinn Scholarship, which includes funding for tuition, housing, meals, and study abroad, is valued at more than $120,000.

Adams is one of Page High School’s most active students and accomplished scholars. She’s co-student body president, and she’s been on student council all four years of high school. She carries a 4.0 GPA and will be one of this year’s valedictorians. She’s involved with the National Honor Society, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the Culinary Club and the Service-Learning Club. She’s also played varsity tennis all throughout her high school career.

Parris is bright, driven and organized. She’s a self-starter and very personable, said Megan Moore, who has been Adams’ student council advisor for the past four years.

“I think one of her greatest qualities is that she cares about everyone,” Moore said. “She’s an advocate for her fellow students. She wants every student to be successful. When we plan events, she makes sure everyone’s included. She wants Page High School to feel like a safe place and a fun place to be, and she works with teachers and administrators to make that happen.”

“Parris is such a smart, talented kid. I would have been surprised if she hadn’t been given the Flinn Scholarship,” said Wyatt Swinton, Adams’ culinary arts teacher for the last three years.

Adams and Swinton also work together at the Grand Circle Grille, where Adams works as a part-time line cook.

“She’ll be successful at anything she wants to do in this industry,” Swinton said. “She’s by far the most-talented cook I’ve taught.”

Adams was one of just 20 Arizona students to receive the Flinn Scholarship this year. She learned she’d been awarded the Flinn Scholarship during spring break.

Adams was one of 951 students who applied for the 2021 Flinn Scholarship last autumn. The Selection Committee narrowed the field down to 85 semifinalists. The 85 semi-finalists then interviewed with the search committee in January and the field was narrowed down to 35 finalists. Each time Adams passed to the next round she was informed via email.

After the second interview, the committee told Adams that they would call her by the end of the week and let her know if she was chosen.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be before or on the actual day,” Adams said, “so I was really nervous that whole week. It was actually spring break. So, all of spring break I was waiting for this call and then that Friday I got the call at like (3 o’clock) in the afternoon. It was terrible. I felt like I was playing the waiting game the entire time.”

“She (Adams) texted me about 3 p.m. and said she must not have got it, because no one had called her,” Adams’ mother said.

But the ‘terrible’ wait ended with good news after texting her mother: a Flinn representative called Adams and informed her she’d been selected.

“I was so ecstatic and excited!” Adams exclaimed. “I was literally screaming when I got the call! It was just really rewarding that all of the work I’ve put in over the last four years finally paid off.”

Adams plans to major in hotel restaurant management, and she will either double major or minor in political science.

“My long-term plans are to be involved in the restaurant industry and then create a non-profit for underprivileged individuals to have access to healthy and sustainable food options,” Adams said.

“I think college and being involved with the other Flinn scholars is going to be an amazing experience for Parris,” her mother added. “Parris is passionate about education. She’s a self-starter, she has big plans and big ideas. It will be great for her to be surrounded by other students and adults who feel the same way.”

One of the big perks that comes with the scholarship is that the students get to travel to Europe twice during their four years as a Flinn scholar.

Adams hopes those two trips to Europe will just be the beginning of a lifetime of travel.

“I am so excited to travel the world!” she exclaimed. “I’m super excited for all of the adventures that await and just being able to experience something different is going to be really awesome.”

Adams has attended schools of the Page Unified School District since she was in second grade. She says she’s had several important teachers during her time as a student.

“I’ve had a lot of really influential teachers from elementary to high school,” she added. “Some key ones are Ms. Codner, Mr. Serventi, Ms. Schmitter, Mr. Swinton, Ms. Moore, both of my parents, Mr. Bunch, Ms. Wold, Mr. Albert, and Ms. Willson.”

“It will be fun to see what she does,” Moore said. “She’s going to accomplish exactly what she wants.”