(June 2024) - The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) approved scholarships totaling $589,500 to 91 WNC students in 55 schools in 19 counties. More than 60 volunteers from the community worked to review applications and select recipients.
Top recipients are:
- Lily Foo from Asheville High School who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award valued at $60,000 over four years.
- Adale Davey from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years.
- Kyleah Searles from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years.
- Graham Burch from Andrews High School who was awarded the Reichman Scholarship Fund valued at $30,000 over four years.
- Brinkley Hodshon from Mitchell High School who was awarded the Charles C. and Suzanne R. McKinney Scholarship valued at $30,000 over four years.
- Ivy Niemas from Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy who was awarded the Nathaniel Ellis Cannady, Jr. Scholarship, valued at $20,000 over four years.
- Savannah Barnwell from Hendersonville High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years.
- Amanda Fleischer from TriCounty Early College High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years.
- Logan Guynn from Franklin High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years.
- Caitlyn Muniz from Rosman High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years. She also was awarded the one-time Transylvania Excellence in Education / Excellence Award of $2,000.
- Ivelyse Rodriguez from Smoky Mountain High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years and the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000 over four years.
- Hunter Teague from Haywood Early College High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years.
- Alyssa Lavender from McDowell High School who was awarded the A. Joe Hemphill, Jr. Scholarship valued at $12,000 over four years.
- Cooper Hall from Highlands School who was awarded the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000 over four years.
- Emma Rowe from Smoky Mountain High School who was awarded the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000 over four years.
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.
“Awarding scholarships is a rewarding and collaborative process,” said Vice President for Programs Philip Belcher. “WNC is home to many gifted, talented students. The members of our committees work to select the student they feel best represents the qualifications outlined in each scholarship’s guidelines. From a large pool of applicants, amazing students are chosen, and it is an honor to play a role in supporting their educational goals and futures.”