Sarah Marie Pepe won one of five $5,000 Rising Star Scholarship Awards. WBRC FOX6 News Rising Star, sponsored by America’s First Credit Union, is a program set up to highlight star students throughout Central Alabama area high schools. Students had to be nominated by the principal, counselor, or teacher at the school and needed to meet certain criteria. Nominees are star students who are serving in their community, participating in extracurricular activities, and maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better. There were 30 weekly winners, all highlighted on WBRC FOX6 News. Those 30 students competed for one of five $5,000 scholarships, awarded by America’s First Credit Union. The five student winners were announced at a banquet ceremony in downtown Birmingham on Friday, May 6.