Lake Dallas Teen Scores Scholarship From Dating Website
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Lake Dallas teenager and his family score a big come-from-behind victory.
CBS 11 introduced you to Austin Sumlin two weeks ago, on the last day of voting for a college scholarship competition from online dating website Match.com.
Thanks to hard work from his family and CBS 11 viewers, he pulled off a last-minute victory.
He now has a $50,000 scholarship in his future, but Austin's entry to the contest almost didn't happen.
"Mom heard about it first of all, and said you should do this," explained Austin.
The competition was open to the children of parents who'd met on Match.com. The contestants were required to make a video telling their family's story.
Austin's initial reaction was, "I don't know how to make a video. I don't really want to."
But he did it, at the last minute, as many teenagers do.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH AUSTIN'S MATCHMADE STORY
His video made it to the finals, but on the last day of voting, which was also Austin's 18th birthday, he was behind by thousands of votes.
"I was on my phone all day tweeting and sharing," he said.
Then CBS 11 viewers got involved after seeing his story on CBS 11 News at 6.
"Right after the CBS 11 story aired that night, we saw total strangers tweeting us," said Richard Sumlin, Austin's dad.
Austin got word several days later that he won the scholarship and the experience brought a new respect from the dad he always wanted.
'I am so proud of him. Just the fact that he wasn't afraid to get out there and put himself out there and post this very personal video about how his family came together," said Richard.
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