Gateway High School senior surprised with $40K scholarship

MONROEVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) -- As a parent, when you receive a phone call from the school principal summoning you and your child to a meeting, your mind probably races a bit. But little did one Monroeville family know there would be a life-changing impact on the other end of that call.

Friday morning, and with very little information, Rocco Matrazzo and his parents came to Gateway High School expecting the unknown. Upon arrival, they were ushered into an auditorium that was filled with people.

"You didn't even hear people in the audience. It was just silence. I look at my wife and I look at Rocco and they're filled with emotion," said Bryan Matrazzo.

As it turns out, the subject matter of this last-minute meeting with the principal was far from bad. And all of those people were there to cheer Rocco on for what was about to happen next.  

Rocco Matrazzo was one of two students nationally who was awarded a $40,000 scholarship through the BigFuture program. 

Rocco said he was shocked because he didn't even remember signing up for the scholarship contest back when he was a junior.

"I'm shocked. I had no idea any of this was gonna happen today," he said. 

His guidance counselor had Rocco and other students fill out a list on the BigFuture page on the website College Board answering what they wanted to do after high school. 

"This program really helps students navigate and figure out those next steps to going to college. It's free, it's simple, it's easy and it's fun," said Cassandra Allen, the director of K-12 Services.

Rocco was entered to win one of the $40,000 BigFuture scholarships, awarded to two students each month. Rocco is thrilled. And his parents tell KDKA-TV they are relieved knowing some of the heavy burden of student loan debt has been lifted for their son.  

Matratzo says he hasn't decided where he's going to school yet, but he's already been accepted into Robert Morris University and Rosedale Technical College.