LONG BEACH (AP) — A California high school senior has turned a single tweet into a $20,000 college scholarship.

The Twitter entry from 17-year-old Amanda Russell was selected Wednesday from more than 2,800 tweets that competed for the scholarship offered by Louisville-based restaurant chain KFC.

The winning tweet was: “Hey Colonel! Your scholarship’s the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!”

Russell reached the 140 character limit for the contest, so she’ll get $142 per character to pursue her college dreams.

Russell has compiled a 3.9 grade point average at her high school in Long Beach, where she’s also on her school’s swim team and also volunteers at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She said she plans to major in biology and pursue a career as a doctor or medical researcher.

In her tweet, Russell said the scholarship is “the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success.”

Tweet-based scholarship programs are a new wrinkle to applications that often involve long essays.

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