Community Foundation Awards $143,250 in Scholarships
The Outer Banks Community Foundation has awarded $143,250 in scholarships this spring, helping 56 students from across the Outer Banks achieve their educational dreams.
Twenty-nine graduating seniors from First Flight, Cape Hatteras, Currituck, Ocracoke, and Manteo high schools are receiving scholarships totaling $78,650 for the 2017-2018 academic year. Several of those students are receiving scholarships that are renewable for up to four years of college, representing an additional $67,050 in future pledged awards.
In addition, the Community Foundation has also renewed financial support to 27 college students originally from the Outer Banks, with scholarships totaling $64,600.
Among this year’s recipients is Maria Mendoza, a graduating senior from Manteo High School, who will be attending NC Central University in the fall to study criminal justice. Mendoza is the recipient of the Jerry & Arlene Davis Scholarship, a four-year, $20,000 award that was established by Mr. and Mrs. Davis in 2007. The Jerry & Arlene Davis Scholarship is based on financial need and is given to hard-working students to help them achieve educational goals that might not otherwise be possible. Mendoza is also the recipient of the Sgt. Earl Murray Memorial Scholarship and the Frank M. Cahoon Memorial Scholarship.
Sarah Skinner, a graduating senior from First Flight High School, has received the prestigious Milton A. Jewell Scholarship. She plans on using this scholarship to study English and psychology at Cornell University this fall. The Milton A. Jewell Scholarship is a merit-based award that is granted each year to a graduating senior with exceptional academic achievement and outstanding leadership qualities. The scholarship, established by bequest by the late Ruth Medgyes of Southern Shores, is renewable for up to four years of college, for a total of $24,000.
“I know the Milton A. Jewell Scholarship will go a very long way putting me through college, as well as enabling me to take advantage of opportunities that would have otherwise been unrealistic,” Skinner said. “I’m honored to have been chosen to represent the benefactors and the great Outer Banks community, and so thankful for their help in reaching my academic dreams.”
Another recipient this year is Christian Eberhard, a graduating senior from First Flight High School, who has received the four-year, $20,000 Sawyer Scholarship. The scholarship is based on academic criteria, community activities, financial need, and work experience. Eberhard plans to study at American University this fall, focusing on film studies, media arts, and environmental science. He is also a recipient of the $1,000 Outer Banks Association of Realtors Scholarship.
“I feel like this scholarship is going to help so much in college; it lifted the biggest weight off my shoulders. I am classified as independent, so none of my guardian’s money will be going towards my tuition,” Eberhard said. “I’m so glad I got the time to sit down with the Community Foundation and tell them about what my future plans were. Everyone there was very interested and caring about my future.”
Cape Hatteras Secondary School senior Ethan Gray is this year’s recipient of the R. Stewart Couch Hatteras Island Scholarship, the largest one-year award available through the Community Foundation. This need-based scholarship is a combination of a bequest by the late Stewart Couch, as well as money raised in his memory by the Outer Banks Association of Realtors after his passing in 2012. This year the scholarship is worth $8,250.
For a full list of all of this year’s recipients, please go to www.obcf.org/scholarships/recent-recipients. For a descriptions of all the scholarships offered by the Community Foundation, go to www.obcf.org/scholarships/scholarship-programs.
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The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a public charity that connects people who care with causes that matter. The Community Foundation manages over $15 million in 150 charitable funds for individuals and agencies, awards charitable grants to local nonprofits, administers 50 scholarship programs, and provides tailored services to help donors pursue their charitable interests. Anyone can establish a scholarship endowment with the Community Foundation, or contribute to one of our existing scholarship funds. Since the organization’s inception in 1983, the Community Foundation has awarded almost $2 million in scholarships to over 1,500 Outer Banks students. For more information, call 252-261-8839 or visit www.obcf.org/scholarships.
