POWERGRAMS

30 Although a small-town girl from Greenville – where she knows everyone and everyone knows her – Kendall Lambert is not daunted by the prospect of beginning a new journey this fall as a "new kid on campus" at the University of Alabama. "People have told me, 'You're going to be terrified because you won't know anybody. You're going from a senior class of 40 to a freshman class of hundreds at Alabama,'" said the 18-year-old. "But I'm excited to make those new relationships and meet those new people. I'm pretty outgoing, and I can talk to a brick wall. I can't wait to experience that kind of thing." Kendall, who loves working with kids, plans to pursue her dream of becoming a developmental pediatrician. Doctors who specialize in this field treat children with conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy and other learning disabilities. Kendall was already planning to study medicine, but she became drawn to developmental pediatrics last year after volunteering at a 5K run to raise awareness of a genetic condition affecting about 400,000 Americans. "I met this little girl named Millie who has Down syndrome, and fell in love with her," said Kendall. "She was a big inspiration." A graduate of Fort Dale Academy in Greenville, Kendall is the Alabama Power Foundation's 2016 Presidential Scholar. She is the daughter of Local Operations Lineman Trea Lambert and Power Delivery Clerk Susan Lambert, who work in the Greenville Office. The four-year scholarship is presented to an outstanding high school senior who is a dependent of an Alabama Power employee or retiree, and is based on academic achievement, standardized test scores, leadership, participation in extracurricular activities, and financial need. Kendall said she is thrilled to receive this honor from Alabama Power, which is like her "second home." Kendall truly has an Alabama Power family. She is the granddaughter of retiree Wesley Lambert, and her uncle, Shay Lambert, is a safety specialist at the General Services Complex Training Center. "The scholarship is really special because my whole family is here, and even people who aren't my family by blood are here," said Kendall, who eats lunch almost every day with her mom and other employees at the Greenville Office, and has spent the night there when her parents were on storm duty. "The boys on the crew refer to themselves as my brothers, and I treat them and love them like brothers," she said. With a grade point average of 4.2 and a 30 score on the American College Test (ACT), Kendall is a standout student. Her academic achievements in high school A Bright Star PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR HOPES TO SHINE LIGHT ON SPECIAL KIDS By Carla Davis Susan, Kendall and Trea Lambert.

• Cover