2026 Bridgeport High Graduate Mackenzie Kimball Starts College with Prestigious Scholarship
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on August 22, 2026
As WVU freshman Mackenzie Kimball begins her fall semester, she has one more thing to celebrate.
The 2026 Bridgeport High School graduate majoring in Elementary Education is just one of 26 recipients state-wide to receive the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars award.
The Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program is a competitive scholarship for high school seniors and recent high school graduates with a passion for teaching and a history of high academic achievement, community service, and active involvement in extracurricular activities while in high school.
Recipients receive up to $10,000 per year ($40,000 total) toward their college education and commit to teaching in West Virginia for at least five years after graduation.
Throughout high school, Kimball excelled inside and outside the classroom.
She was a member of the National Honor Society, served in both the BHS Band Auxiliary and concert band, and was an active participant in the BHS Theatre program.
She also maintained an active role in BHS Student Council’s executive board, Spanish Honor Society & Club, and Key Club.
At WVU, she has been selected to be a member of the WVU Marching Band Color Guard and was accepted in the Honors College.
Kimball is looking forward to her time at WVU and is excited to be chosen for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program.
“It has always been a dream of mine to be a Color Guard in the Pride of West Virginia Marching Band while in college. Being selected for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program will allow me to fulfill that short-term goal as well as my long-term goal of becoming an elementary teacher here in West Virginia. I am so thankful and honored to be part of the program," Kimball said.
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