Sarah Jennewein joined her classmates inside Robinson High's auditorium for what was supposed to be her normal club meeting.
The senior was instead celebrated for her hard work on and off the playing fields.
Jennewein was honored as the Tampa Bay female winner of the 2017 Spectrum Sports Scholarship. She was one of hundreds to apply for the annual endowment.
What set her apart was an essay where she shared the hardships of several broken bones sustained throughout her athletic career. The injuries, though debilitating at times, also set her on course for what she hopes is a career in medicine.
In addition to her essay, Jennewein wowed the judges with impressive classroom statistics, including a perfect 4.0 GPA in the school's I.B. program, a weighted 7.12 GPA and a 2370 SAT score.
Jennewein also shined on the cross country, soccer and flag football teams for the Knights.
After graduation, she plans on attending Dartmouth. The $2,500 check that comes with the scholarship award will help pay for that Ivy League education.
"I was just so surprised," Jennewein said. "I mean, I saw the award (when you walked in) and I was like, wow, that's really exciting, something's going on. I had no idea. It was just such a great moment.
"I figured I'd just take a shot and I'm so glad that I did and so glad it paid off."