A precocious 17-year-old from Fort Myers has won a large scholarship for her research into Alzheimer’s.

Stephanie Hon is getting $10,000 from The Davidson Institute—an organization for gifted children in Nevada. Hon is leaving Canterbury School a year early to attend Harvard.

The scholarship recognizes her efforts during an internship at the University of South Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Lab. Her work involved the injection of antibodies into the brain that could reduce the plaque associated with some dementia.

Hon says her interest in Alzheimer’s began close to home.

“The Summer after 5th grade, I took the whole Summer and spent it in a nursing home with my grandparents who were failing. My grandmother was showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. So after that, it’s been an integral part of our lives in our family.”

Hon says she has a passion for science. But, she’d like to explore other avenues while at Harvard… including economics. She’ll travel to Washington DC next month to accept the scholarship.