OWENSBORO, Ky. — An Owensboro teenager used his unique skills to land himself a $5,000 scholarship.

Jakovie Curry, 16, has been practicing his beatboxing skills for years. Beatboxing for those who aren’t familiar with the art form is when a person imitates percussion sounds.

“I started beatboxing when I was around six or seven years old with my family in the living room. We would have beatbox battles, and it was so fun that I decided to learn more,” said Curry.

It wasn’t until years later, however, that he started practicing seriously. 

Curry said, “I didn’t start learning how to do really difficult beatboxing until I was like 11 or 12.”

The passion has grown, so much so that it’s become one of his greatest and unique talents.

Curry said, “I just want to show it to the world. This is beatboxing, I love it, and I hope you love it too. I think it should be more known. It’s amazing, it sounds cool, it’s really fun to do. I can’t believe it’s not more known.”

Curry recently entered a talent competition to showcase his skills. He competed against  11 others, in front of a panel of judges. 

The beat he performed was something that sounded like it would come from a techno sound board.

The crowd was eager, often clapping during his performance and cheering with whistles and screams.

Curry said, “They were going crazy, and they were like ‘What!? Yes! Yes!’ I dropped the beat and they went crazy.”

Curry said he had thought he got second place; however, when another performer’s name was called for the second place spot, it shocked him.

Curry said, “There was only one spot left. I was thinking, ‘Huh, this could be me, I could do this.’”

Curry’s name was then called out for first place—earning him a check for a $5,000 scholarship.

Curry said, “When they announced my name, I ran up there and grabbed the check and said ‘Let’s go! I did it!’”

It was a rewarding moment for the young man, who sharpens his skills, sometimes hours a day.

When asked about how good he was when he first started beatboxing, he claims he was not a superstar.

Curry said, “Oh absolutely, no question. When I first started out, I sounded just like anyone else in beatboxing.”

As the old tale goes, hard work and passion, pays off. And sometimes, it can earn you a big reward.

Curry said, “It was one of the happiest moments I’ve had in a really long time.”