Savannah Williamson didn’t bother with a silly old summer vacation. The Pike Liberal Arts rising senior chose to spend the majority of hers at the University of Alabama.

“I’m doing dual enrollment. By the time I graduate, I should have half of freshman year done,” she said.

She took two classes in Tuscaloosa. In each, a semester’s work was crammed in to four weeks.

“Everything right now that I’m doing is just to try to better myself for college,” she said.

The efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. She was one of a handful of PLAS students nominated for and accepted as an “All-American scholar” by the United States Achievement Academy Scholarship Foundation. She was also a finalist for the Valerie Sawyer Community Service Award.

“I’m very happy,” she said. “I’ve always been really good in school and it felt like I was finally getting payback for what I done.”

Donning a cap and gown will not slow down Williamson. She wants to continue extracurricular activities.

Williamson was most recently crowned Teen Miss Alabama Camellia in a USA Woodlands pageant. She had gotten out of pageants for a while but returned for one reason. “The money,” she said. “You get scholarships if you win.”

Williamson completed her coursework, but she hasn’t slowed down. She plans to spend the rest of her summer practicing and working out for the school volleyball team.

Williamson hasn’t picked a college, but she has picked a career. She wants to be a neonatologist.

“I feel like I’d be helping more than hurting,” she said. “That’s always been the goal.”