(July 2021) - CFWNC recently approved scholarships totaling $410,250 to 91 WNC students in 60 schools in 19 counties. More than 60 volunteers from the community worked to review applications and select recipients, some through Zoom meetings and online interviews.
Top recipients were:
- Sophia Fairbairn from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Dominique Gant from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Owen Koppe from NC School of Science and Math who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Scholarship valued at $30,000 over four years. He plans to attend University of Utah - Salt Lake City.
- Marley Cloer from Mitchell High School who was awarded the Charles C. and Suzanne R. McKinney Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
- Aubrie Pressley from East Henderson High School who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady Jr. Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend Lenoir-Rhyne University.
- Aliya Conner from Polk County Early College High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend Appalachian State University.
- Maya Cruz from Cherokee High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend Stanford University.
- Skye Spinner from Polk County High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend Brandeis University.
- Willow Trantham from Robbinsville High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend Appalachian State University.
- Ruby Dyer from Swain County High School who was awarded the Frances M. Miller Charitable Fund valued at $12,000 over four years. She plans to attend a four-year university.
- Delaney Rodriguez from Smoky Mountain High School who was awarded the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Makayla West from Nantahala High School who was awarded the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000. She plans to attend Coastal Carolina University.
Scholarship endowments can have broad eligibility criteria or can be focused on a particular school or county, offered to students pursuing a degree in a stated field or available to those who will attend a designated college or university.
“Members of the Scholarship Committee worked well together, coalescing quickly into a cooperative group with an eye toward picking students who best represent the qualifications outlined in the scholarship guidelines,” said Christena Southwick, Rotary Club of Asheville-Downtown committee member. “From a large pool of student applications, amazing students were chosen for follow-up virtual interviews and final selection. What a wonderful opportunity CFWNC provides the committees and area youth, sending them off to college and bright futures. I very much appreciated being a part of the process.”