Pillow Academy student Dia Chawla will travel to New York City on Friday to be presented the 2021 Heisman High School Scholarship award.
Chawla, 18, the female winner, will join Adom Appiah of Spartanburg, South Carolina, the male winner, as part of Saturday’s celebration for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to college football’s best player.
She will attend the Heisman scholarship reception from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe on Times Square and the Heisman Trophy ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Jazz at Lincoln Center. She will conclude the weekend by attending the 87th annual Heisman Memorial
Trophy Dinner Gala at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Broadway Ballroom.
Chawla has had a busy week since she was informed of her award on Dec. 8. She has talked with “Good Morning America,” Delta News, WJTV and WLBT and received numerous acknowledgments from teachers and peers.
This media blitz is in addition to her numerous responsibilities as a student-athlete.
“We’re right in the thick of basketball season,” she said. “Two to three games a week, practices every day. This Heisman thing, I’ve actually had to do quite a lot of press for it, which is quite exciting, practically taking calls almost every day. Editing résumés, and of course, I’m right in the middle of college applications as well.”
She said she has become gradually more excited as the date approaches.
She attended the Heisman ceremony as a guest in 2018 when her brother, Sunjay Chawla, was the male award recipient.
“When I had originally won it last week, he was the first person to congratulate me and call me,” she said. “He’s pretty excited. I think he’s more excited for me than I was, since it hasn’t really sunk in for me yet.”
Sunjay is in the midst of finals week at Southern Methodist University, and though previous Heisman award winners are invited to the yearly ceremony, he wasn’t planning to attend this year because he wanted to focus on his studies. That changed when he heard his sister was going to be honored.
“As soon as I won, he immediately went to his professors to try to get his exams moved up,” she said. “He was able to, and now he’s able to come.”
She said she is looking forward to the festivities and hopes to meet Nick Saban, the University of Alabama head football coach. “I think he’s almost like a mystical creature,” she said. “You see him on TV, such a humble guy. I did see him last time. I didn’t get to talk to him, though. I just got a really powerful aura from him. I guess to be able to talk to him this time would be fantastic.”
Her mother, Gauri Chawla, said she is proud of her children’s achievements.
“I’m glad that this spot that they are on is going to benefit them, that they will learn to continue to be hard workers with a great work ethic so they can tap into their God-given aptitude,” she said.
She said she believes credit should be given to the whole family for creating an environment in which they can learn and grow.
Gauri said she hopes her children “stay steady and have patience and ride through any storms that they may face in their adult life.”
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
