LAPLACE — Chelsey McMillon knew she had a hard decision to make when deciding which high school to attend.

The LaPlace resident was finishing at Memorial Baptist Christian School in Metairie, so distance was not something that negatively impacted her.

She prayed, researched area schools and visited a few campuses before coming across Cabrini High School in New Orleans.

The all-girl Catholic high school proved to be the perfect choice for McMillon, who graduated this month with numerous accolades, including 2017 Burger King Scholar from St. John the Baptist Parish, bringing with it a $1,000 scholarship to further her educational advancement.

“Cabrini was a small sisterhood school,” McMillon said. “The school academics were excellent for preparing students for college. I was impressed with the school’s diversity and culture. The teachers were great! Extracurricular activities were plentiful. Most importantly, parent involvement, school staff and resources were outstanding.”

McMillon is taking all she learned up from high school to travel again, this time north four hours to the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she will pursue a doctorate in pharmacy.

“My dream is to work in a hospital setting where I can provide quality health care to patients in need,” McMillon said. “After college I plan to settle down where ever my talents may lie. I would like to go where ever God calls me, so that I can care for people and make a positive difference in the world.”

A release from GPS Hospitality, one of the nation’s largest Burger King franchisees, said McMillon is joining more than 3,200 other recipients throughout North America that were awarded a collective $3.5 million in 2017. This year’s recipients were selected by the Burger King Mclamore Foundation based on their grade point average, extracurricular activities, community service and work experience.