An Alabama student-athlete is making history after becoming the first African American valedictorian in the 132-year history of Scottsboro High School.
Lela Moser graduated on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the top of her class, marking a historic milestone for the Jackson County school founded in 1894.
Her achievement is drawing attention across Alabama not only because of the history she made academically, but also because of her standout accomplishments in athletics and leadership.
Moser’s achievement carries additional historical significance for her family. Her uncle, Sam McCamey, was the first Black student to integrate the Scottsboro school system decades earlier, connecting two generations of barrier-breaking milestones in the same community.
In addition to earning valedictorian honors, Moser received the school’s 2026 Balfour Award, regarded as the highest nonacademic honor given to a graduating senior.
She was also recognized statewide as one of Alabama’s 52 Bryant-Jordan Scholar Athletes this year and earned an Auburn Football Letterman Club Scholarship during the organization’s annual banquet in Birmingham.
Beyond academics, Moser built an impressive athletic résumé as a dominant force in track and field.
A seven-time state champion, she helped elevate Scottsboro’s relay program to record-breaking heights. During her junior year, Moser and her 4×400 relay teammates broke a 13-year school record. The team went on to shatter the mark multiple times again this season before setting a new state record at the 2026 Alabama High School Athletic Association championships in Gulf Shores earlier this month.
Her success in the classroom and on the track has now opened doors at one of Alabama’s top engineering programs.
Moser has been accepted into the Samuel L. Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University, where she was also named a Ginn Scholar.
Her story is being celebrated by many online as a powerful example of academic excellence, athletic achievement, and generational progress in the Deep South.
The milestone also highlights the continued significance of representation and educational access in communities with long histories tied to segregation and school integration battles.
