Alyssa Flynn never realized her passion for learning would lead to a $70,000 scholarship to Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J.

Flynn was awarded the merit-based University Scholarship that will cover 89 percent of her tuition over the next four years.

The scholarship was based on her grade-point average and her involvement in the community.

Flynn plans to study chemical engineering, a choice she attributes to the help of her teachers at Mehlville Senior High School.

“They encouraged me to do something great and taught me about the field chemical engineering,” she stated in a news release.

Flynn, whose favorite classes were in chemistry where she was able to conduct experiments, also looked at attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota.

Flynn will move to New Jersey on Aug. 31 and start school on Sept. 1 at Seton Hall.

After graduation from Seton Hall, she hopes to work in pharmaceuticals or polymer science.