Spartanburg Day student to be awarded scholarship during Heisman Trophy Ceremony broadcast

Adom Appiah has lived a heck of a life. And he's still only a senior at Spartanburg Day School.

From the Scripps Spelling Bee to leading a non-profit called Ball4Good, that's made waves in the Spartanburg community, the high school student has led a life of giving back to others and setting an example for other young adults.

Saturday night, he'll be awarded with another accomplishment. Appiah is in New York City for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony, where he will be honored on Saturday night during the nationally televised broadcast of the awards ceremony.

Appiah has been awarded the Heisman High School Scholarship, alongside another high school student from Greensboro, Mississippi. The scholarship, awarded nationally by the Heisman Trophy Trust, is a $10,000 scholarship that will go toward his post-high school education – wherever that may be.

There was a pool of one male and female finalist from each state, before two were selected to win the scholarship.

"It’s incredible … I’d just like to thank everybody that’s contributed to my path: My coaches, my teachers," Appiah told the Herald-Journal ahead of the ceremony. "I’m the person receiving the award but there's a lot of people who were apart of the journey and it couldn't have happened without them."

Appiah will be honored live during the ceremony that will begin being televised at 8 p.m. on this Saturday, Dec. 11 on ESPN. The senior at Spartanburg Day plans to pursue the economics field and wants to blend economics and community work during his professional life, he said.

Related reporting: Spartanburg teen philanthropist Adom Appiah honored by ESPN for his Ball4Good charity

Appiah is a two-sport athlete at Spartanburg Day: He plays both varsity basketball and soccer for the Griffins. He is also one of two winners – there is a male and female winner each year. The female winner of this years award is Dia Chawla from Pillow Academy in Greenwood, Mississippi.

"I’m blown away with the recognition I’ve received and I’m really humbled to be in this position," Appiah said. "I was up there with a ton of great finalists, they were all deserving. I’m just thankful for the honor and contribution to further my studies."

He was a two-time Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinalist, recipient of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award and has raised more than $100,000 to benefit charities in his community through his own nonprofit organization, Ball4Good.

The non-profit began as an annual celebrity basketball game that he was brought to life after a seventh-grade history project.

More: Original story on Ball4Good, Appiah's non-profit organization

Since 1993, the Heisman Trophy High School Scholarship program has honored more than 600,000 of the nation’s high school seniors. It has provided more than $1 million in college scholarships to students throughout the United States, according to the release from the Heisman Trophy Trust.

Joe Dandron is a sports reporter for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal that covers high school athletics and more. You can contact him with story tips, ideas and other comments at jdandron@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg Day School student to be honored at Heisman Trophy ceremony