The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) approved scholarships totaling $558,000 to 96 WNC students in 53 schools in 19 counties.
More than 60 volunteers from the community worked to review applications and select recipients.
Buncombe County top recipients included:
- Ruby Blue from Martin L. Nesbitt Academy who was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award, valued at $40,000 over four years, and the Rotary Club of Asheville Harry R. Morrill Scholarship, valued at $5,000
- Nancy Membreno from School of Inquiry and Life Sciences who was awarded a Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, valued at $40,000 over four years
- Sophia Nash from Asheville High School who was awarded a Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, valued at $40,000 over four years
- Julia Givens from Charles D. Owen High School who was awarded the Nelle Crowell Fletcher & G.L. Crowell Fund Scholarship, valued at $20,000 over four years
Other Buncombe County students awarded scholarships are:
Tetiana Alnasraween A. C. Reynolds High School
Ximena Reyna-Campozano A. C. Reynolds High School
Emilia Conley Asbury University
Samuel Rattigan Asheville High School
Zhtaviya Byrd Asheville High School
Riley Johnson Charles D. Owen High School
Case Alexander Enka High School
Noah Cook Enka High School
Sydney Hoppensteadt Enka High School
Sareh Whittemore Enka High School
Natalie Messer Enka High School
Nathan Cerda IC Imagine
Alyssa Shoof Madison Early College High School
Wheeler Fisher Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy
Rachel White Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy
Janae Wofford Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy
Erin Chen NC School of Science and Math
Andrew Knight NC State University
Chad Clark North Buncombe High School
Rebecca Moore North Carolina State University
Iris Schreiner School of Inquiry and Life Sciences
Isaac Weir School of Inquiry and Life Sciences
Daijah Elliott School of Inquiry and Life Sciences
Floria Apostolova T.C. Roberson High School
Jacob Asbill T.C. Roberson High School
Claire Lim T.C. Roberson High School
Emily O’Briant University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Aaron Bennett Western Carolina University
Michael Halpin Western Carolina University
Scholarship 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.
“Being able to volunteer as a member of a CFWNC scholarship committee has been immensely rewarding,” said Leslie Berry, a volunteer reviewer for the Irving Jacob Reuter Award. “I feel particularly invested in the process, as I attended WNC public schools myself and now my husband, Hal, and I have children in our public school system. After reviewing these scholarship students through the lens of an alumnus, a parent, and, now, a committee member, I can honestly say the caliber of students in our area is extraordinary and we, as a community, should be extremely proud to recognize and celebrate them.”
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 $34 million in grants last year bringing total giving to more than $362 million since its founding in 1978.
Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.