GREENE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Thousands of students apply to attend the University of Virginia every year, and a small group is accepted.

Out of that small number of accepted students, 15 incoming first years were awarded the Walentas Scholarship, and one of those students comes from Greene County’s William Monroe High School.

“I attended a recipient weekend for the scholarship, and that was when I realized fully that there was no way I could turn that scholarship down, and turn down UVA,” said Jennifer Argueta, an incoming first-year at UVA. 

Argueta just graduated a few days ago and is leaving her mark at William Monroe.

She was a member of the BETA club, Environmental Club, served as a DECA club officer, and served as the senior class president. 

On top of all of that, Argueta graduated with a GPA of 4.5.

“I just made sure to do things that interested me or aligned with my specific academic interests,” added Argueta.

Even though she excelled in high school, getting the Walentas scholarship is not an easy task, but her promise and determination helped her stand out among the applicants.

“I also just did a bunch of community service, which is important to do in general, but I think giving back to people, it stands out for other people who are just trying to get a sense of who you are as a person,” added Argueta. 

Walentas Scholars benefit from a number of enrichment programs sponsored by the UVA Foundation, including travel abroad, career networking activities, and a leadership speaker series.

And Argueta gave her classmates some advice to follow in her footsteps.

“Don’t do everything just because you think it will look good on a college application, just do things you truly enjoy,” she said. 

Argueta continues to amaze her classmates, as she is going to be double majoring in Political Science and Economics. She will be beginning her first year at UVA in August.