Press release from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina:
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (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 included: Sophia Fairbairn from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years as well as the R. Walker Geitner III Memorial Scholarship and the William Bradley Ayers Memorial Scholarship. Dominique Gant from Asheville High School who was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship valued at $40,000 over four years. Owen Koppe from NC School of Science and Math who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award valued at $30,000 over four years as well as the Rotary Club of Asheville Harry R. Morrill Scholarship.
Other Buncombe County students awarded scholarships include:
Sean Clark Asheville High School
Emelia Conley Asheville Christian Academy
Andrew Cook North Buncombe High School
William David Christ School
Jed Dorsey Clyde A. Erwin High School
Kaylee Flannigan Western Carolina University
Ruby Gerken UNC School of the Arts High School
Dylan Gudac Enka High School
Alex Knickrehm A. C. Reynolds High School
Andrew Knight Charles D. Owen High School
Bailey Lankford School of Inquiry & Life Sciences
Gabrielle Martin T.C. Roberson High School
Leah Morrissey Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy
Alex Plemmons Western Carolina University
Addison Porter A. C. Reynolds High School
Joy Prettyman North Buncombe High School
Shannon Retzloff Home School
Amelia Seligman T.C. Roberson High School
Benjamin Solomon School of Inquiry & Life Sciences
Margaret Stewart Asheville High School
Amelia Sullivan North Buncombe High School
Zoe Sumner UNC Charlotte
Tamia Taylor A.C. Reynolds High School
Antonio Torres Enka High School
Emma Whitney Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy
Ava Yurchak Charles D. Owen High SchoolScholarship endowments can have broad eligibility criteria, 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.”
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,200 funds and facilitated $22 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $276 million since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.
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