Effingham County High School graduate Hannah Boyd was one of 50 student leaders nationwide selected to receive a Herff Jones Believe in You Scholarship.

Boyd, the ECHS class of 2013 valedictorian, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship. She will attend the University of Georgia, where she plans to study genetics.

The Herff Jones Believe in You Scholarship & Principal’s Award, a new program launched in November 2012, offers school principals across the country the opportunity to nominate one high school senior who displays both academic excellence and strong leadership skills.

Nominees were evaluated on academic performance, standardized test results, work experience, participation in student activities, community service and their response to the essay question, "Please explain how a person believing in you has had a positive impact on your success. What did he/she do and how did it help?"

"Hannah is never a ‘wallflower’ volunteer — she is always in the middle of the action, helping wherever needed with a smile. She is a mature, ‘can-do’ person and can always devise ways to make things happen," ECHS Principal Yancy Ford said in his nomination.

The program awards 47 scholarships of $2,000 to students from high schools across the U.S. and Canada, as well as $5,000 to the third-place national winner, $8,500 to the second-place national winner and $12,000 to the national winner. Winners were notified in April and will receive their scholarship checks in August.

"Through our Believe in You Scholarship & Principal’s Award program, the employee-owners and sales representatives of Herff Jones are proud to acknowledge 50 students from across the United States and Canada who have shown outstanding academic success, leadership and service," said Jeff Webb, president and COO of Herff Jones, Inc. "This program is an important part of our mission to provide life-enriching experiences for the young people we serve."