It pays to study.

Just ask Colin Whitworth, the Athens High School senior who just won a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

The 18-year-old struck gold with the achievement.

The University of Alabama offered him a $50,000 scholarship package that includes four years of tuition, room and board, two trips abroad for study and a laptop computer.

Bright lad that he is, Whitworth accepted and will attend college there in the fall.

“You saved us a lot of money,” joked his mother, Peggy, as she leaned over to hug him.

Whitworth learned about the Alabama offer last fall after he had been selected as one of 15,000 semi-finalists for the National Merit Scholarship.

“They sent me a letter telling me that if I was named a finalist, they would offer me the scholarship,” said Whitworth, whose father, Rick, is a construction supervisor.

He learned this week he is one of 25 students statewide and one of 2,500 students nationwide to win a National Merit Scholarship, which did not entirely surprise him.

“I was not exactly surprised but I am very excited to hear I got it,” he said. “I looked into what score I would probably need to make it. I felt like I would be happy if I broke 200 and I scored a 222.”

National Merit Scholars must have more than smarts. They must show an ability to get involved and get things accomplished. A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors chooses scholars.

A member of the Golden Eagle Marching Band, Colin is a percussionist who served as drum major this year. In addition to band, Whitworth is Beta Club president, Spanish Club president, a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society, Trail youth board, Scholars’ Bowl team and a philanthropic club called Together Renewing and Improving Limestone.

At Alabama, Colin plans to pursue a double major in English and music education. He also plans to audition for a tenor drum spot in The Million Dollar Band and eventually audition for drum major.

He hopes to teach college students and possibly even direct The Million Dollar Band someday.

“I was going to be a lawyer but I decided I want to share my passion with other people,” he said.

His passion for becoming an educator was solidified last fall, when he attended a music-education seminar in which flutist and conductor Abel Delgado talked about serving as executive director for The Harmony Project, a non-profit organization that continues to offer music education to underserved children in Los Angeles.

“It’s not just about handing them a trumpet and telling them to play,” Whitworth said. “Through rehearsal, they learn people skills, the importance of working together, punctuality. I can help enrich people’s lives through that.”

Whitworth describes himself as an outgoing and talkative but at the same time laid back.

“Some of my friends might say I’m an overachiever,” he added.

“I think I got my sense of humor from my Dad,” said Whitworth, who is the grandson of Robert and Hilda Whitworth and the late James and Kathleen Turner.

In addition to music and literary analysis, Whitworth enjoys Community Theater and award-winning movies, particularly those directed by Tim Burton.

“If it’s creative, I like it,” he said.

His zeal for study and his love of music sprang mainly from home.

“It came from my family, especially English,” he said. “I was always read to, and although my parents don’t play instruments, the house was never without music.”

His older sister, Brandy Keeton, is a marching band veteran. She played the trumpet, served as a high school majorette, and was a Crimsonette for The Million Dollar Band. So, big sister can probably give little brother, even one who’s a National Merit Scholar, a few pointers on college life.