It pays to be talented and smart. In this case, it pays to be Olivia Meier.

The Kennedy senior has signed a national letter-of-intent to play basketball at Upper Iowa University next season, and her talent and brains have netted her a full scholarship from the Peacocks.

Meier said she’s getting a half-scholarship for academics, based on her 4.23 GPA on a 4.0 scale at Kennedy, and she’s getting another half-scholarship for basketball.  Added together, she said the full grant is worth $30,000.

Upper Iowa is an NCAA Division II school that’s located in Fayette and competes in the Northern Sun Conference.

Meier, who is 5-foot-9, started seven games last season when the Cougars finished 21-3 and reached the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament. She averaged 3.7 points on a talented team that relied on its seniors, but Kennedy Coach Dennis Roloff is counting on her to carry a heavier load this season.