Sugar Bowl president Rod West (right) presents Cameron Hammers, an incoming UM freshman in the Early Entry pharmacy program, with a $10,000 Allstate Sugar Bowl Scholarship. Submitted photo
OXFORD, Miss. – Cameron Hammers, an incoming freshman in the Early Entry program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has won a $10,000 Allstate Sugar Bowl Scholarship from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
Archie Manning, the foundation’s national chairman, honored 36 high school football players from the New Orleans area for their academic and athletic achievements. Hammers was among six of these students who were then chosen to receive a $10,000 scholarship based on essays they submitted.
A senior at Pope John Paul II High School in Slidell, Louisiana, Hammers wrote his winning essay about his past struggles and personal philosophies that have helped him learn to work hard and succeed. He credits his parents with encouraging him to never give up.
“My reaction was one of excitement and disbelief, and I was happy to be honored with the scholarship,” Hammers said.
Hammers accepted a spot in pharmacy school’s competitive Early Entry program earlier this spring. Upon earning his Doctor of Pharmacy degree, Hammers hopes to make an impact on the problem of over-prescription of opioids and antidepressants, and he plans to pursue nuclear pharmacy.
“Balancing both sports and academics is a feat in itself, but doing both well takes heart and determination,” Hammers said. “I have learned through this process that if the will to succeed is strong, then nothing can stop you from achieving greatness.”
David D. Allen, dean of the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy, said he is “incredibly proud” of Hammers.
“This scholarship honors perseverance and dedication, two attributes that help make an incredible pharmacist,” Allen said. “I am very much looking forward to seeing what Cameron accomplishes at Ole Miss and at the School of Pharmacy.”