Zayden Hills says he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up by the time he was 6 years old.
A lawyer.
He was a creative kid whose mom, a teacher, encouraged him to read and write. He loved “The Chronicles of Narnia” and thriller novels. He read Maya Angelou and wrote poems he performed at open mics when he was still in elementary school.
Zayden Hills reacts to being named recipient of McCollum Scholars aid
Zayden Hills, 17, a senior at Edna Karr High School, reacts on March 27, 2024 to being named a member of the 2025 class of McCollum Scholars, a scholarship funded by New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum. Provided
But it was a workday visit to his uncle’s New Orleans law firm that really settled it.
“I found being an attorney to be the most interesting thing when I was younger,” said Hills, now a senior at Edna Karr High School, about to pursue a career in the law.
Hills is among 11 New Orleans high school seniors selected to this year’s class of McCollum Scholars, a program funded by New Orleans Pelicans star C.J. McCollum and his wife, Elise.
McCollum Scholars launched last year in partnership with the New Orleans-based nonprofit College Beyond. Each scholar receives $80,000 over four years in last-dollar scholarships, designed specifically to close the financial aid gaps that remain after grants, institutional aid, and other scholarships are applied. The scholarship includes access to one-on-one counseling, monthly workshops and college tours.
C.J. McCollum hangs with McCollum Scholars at Smoothie King Center
New Orleans Pelicans star C.J. McCollum (center) talks with the 2025 McCollum Scholars class at the Smoothie King Center. Provided
“In a city where the narrative around New Orleans youth is too often shaped by deficit and limitation, the McCollum Scholars program stands as a powerful counterexample,” said Clara Baron-Hyppolite, College Beyond’s executive director. “It shows what young people are capable of when they are supported, seen, and no longer held back by financial barriers.”
Baron-Hyppolite says that the scholarship is specifically intended to reduce students’ family contributions and eliminate the need for loans.
Among the universities where this year’s class will attend: Vanderbilt University, Syracuse University, Providence College and Tulane University.
“I want to provide students with the resources they need to think outside the box about what they can achieve in their lives,” McCollum said in a message on College Beyond’s website. He joined the Pelicans team in 2022.
C.J. McCollum poses with McCollum Scholars
New Orleans Pelicans star C.J. McCollum poses with 10 of the 11 members of the 2025 McCollum Scholars class. Provided
Hills, the Edna Karr student body president with a grade-point average above four points, will attend the University of Southern California, where he’ll major in English, an education that will allow him to continue to read and write a lot, because after all: To be a good lawyer you have to be a good writer, Hills said.
He had lots of options when it came to deciding where to go to college — USC, Amherst College in Massachusetts, Morgan State in Baltimore, Loyola University New Orleans or Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, McCollum’s alma mater.
In making his choice, Hills went back to a feeling he had as a kid in New Orleans. A dream that he could be far away, somewhere at peace. California, he thought.
“California, when I was younger,r always seemed like an escape to me,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to go … I just didn’t know how.”
The remaining 2025 McCollum Scholars are:
Keyria Billew, Livingston Collegiate Academy, will attend Tulane University on the Mayoral Scholarship.
Arsenio Bolds Jr., Edna Karr High School, will attend University of Arkansas Pinebluff on a football scholarship.
Kiali Brown, The Willow School New Orleans, will attend Lehigh University.
Alejandra Flores-Rasgado, Livingston Collegiate Academy, will attend Macalester College as a QuestBridge Scholar.
Nandi Gayles, Ben Franklin High School, will attend Providence College on the Posse Foundation Scholarship.
Gerald Jackson, Abramson Sci Academy, will attend Louisiana State University.
Elissa Merlin, The Willow School New Orleans, will attend Tulane University.
Akeim Nelson, G.W. Carver High School, will attend Tulane University.
Jayden Simmons, G.W. Carver High School, will attend Vanderbilt as a QuestBridge Scholar.
Ezekiel Whitley, St. Augustine High School, will attend Syracuse University on the Please Foundation Scholarship.