(July 2020) - CFWNC recently approved scholarships totaling $510,250 to 94 WNC students in 57 schools in 21 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:
- Ivah Tyson from School of Inquiry & Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA) who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years. He plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Nate Worley from Clyde A. Erwin High School who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award valued at $40,000 over four years. He plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Lauren Wolfe 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 NC State University.
- Caroline Atkins from Mitchell High School who was awarded the Charles C. and Suzanne R. McKinney Scholarship valued at $30,000 over four years. She plans to attend East Tennessee State University.
- Ezequiel Gonzales Solano from Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady Jr. Scholarship valued at $30,000 over four years. He plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
- Makayla Gosnell from Enka High School who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady Jr. Scholarship valued at $30,000 over four years. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Madeline Coyle from Asheville High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Juliana Aiken from Andrews High School who was awarded the Reichman Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
- Elijah White from School of Inquiry and Life Sciences of Asheville who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $16,000 over four years. He plans to attend UNC School of Arts.
- Rosabella Debty from Tri-County Early College High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $16,000 over four years. She plans to attend University of California San Diego.
- Kierra Shook from Swain County High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $16,000. She plans to attend NC State University.
- Lucas Andrews from Avery County High School who was awarded the Powers Scholarship for Avery County Schools valued at $16,000. He plans to attend NC State 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.
“It is an honor to be part of the scholarship process at CFWNC,” said Maurean Adams, a former CFWNC board member and current scholarship review committee member. “Reading the applications, the level of need is staggering, but one comes away with an immense sense of hope that exudes from the words of these students. To apply, students have to think about their goals and dreams, write them down and make you feel their legitimacy. I hope that an award, no matter the size, lets young adults know that hard work pays off and others notice. The financial help is important, but so is the knowledge that they live in a community that cares about them.”