Bestselling author Angie Thomas surprised Mississippi high school senior Stephanie Hartmann with the news that she will be getting a free ride to college.
Hartmann was named the 2026 recipient of the Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship, which covers tuition, room, and board at Belhaven University in Jackson. A native of Brookhaven, Hartmann is an aspiring writer and a student at the Mississippi School for the Arts.
Named in honor of the acclaimed author and Belhaven alumna, the Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship was created and is funded by Belhaven to support young writers who show exceptional promise and financial need as they pursue a calling as authors. Hartmann believed she was participating in a final interview for the scholarship when Thomas appeared to deliver the news.
“I thought it was a prank,” Hartmann said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, and I even thought there might have been a mistake. But the experience was very magical.”
Hartmann was selected based on her creative writing submissions, which were reviewed by Thomas and Dr. Randall Smith, the chair of Belhaven University’s Creative Writing Department.
“Stephanie’s writing demonstrates emotional depth, originality, and a strong command of voice,” Smith said, praising Hartmann’s work and potential. “She is exactly the kind of student we hope to welcome into our creative writing program. Her work shows both maturity and tremendous promise.”
Hartmann said she plans to use the scholarship, which alleviates an otherwise financial strain in paying for college, to fulfill a lifelong ambition of putting her writing to use as a creative author.
“With this scholarship, I am able to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a published author by studying creative writing at the collegiate level without the financial burden it would have been otherwise,” Hartmann said. “My family and I are beyond grateful for this scholarship, and I am incredibly excited to see where it takes me.”
Thomas, the author of the New York Times bestselling novels “The Hate U Give,” “On the Come Up,” and “Concrete Rose,” among others, shared her own experience during the surprise announcement.
“I remember being that student who needed help to make college possible,” she said. “It means so much to be able to open doors for another writer and to see that passion and talent rewarded.”
The Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship is awarded to one student each year. Other finalists receive partial scholarships.