A Kansas University student who went from being a high school dropout to a top scholar is in the running to be named one of Glamour magazine’s Top 10 College Women for 2007.

Sarah Laurel Brokenleg, a junior from the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Nation, is in the running for a $2,000 cash prize and a three-day trip to New York City.

Winners will be announced in June after being chosen by a panel of judges based on leadership experience, personal involvement in the community and academic excellence.

Brokenleg is majoring in social welfare. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in social welfare and public health in order to work for better health for American Indians.

She already has been named a Morris K. Udall Scholar and a KU Woman of Distinction.

Brokenleg attributes her success in part to her experiences as a high school dropout. At age 16, she dyed her hair blue, dropped out of school and eventually obtained a General Educational Development certificate. She later attended Haskell Indian Nations University.