South North Carolina News

Golden LEAF is awarding 215 new scholarships to students who will attend four-year universities in North Carolina. 

“Congratulations to this year’s Golden LEAF Scholarship recipients,” Scott Hamilton, Golden LEAF Foundation president and chief executive officer, said in a press release from Golden LEAF. “Students were selected out of a pool of more than 2,200 applicants. We are proud to award scholarships to these hardworking and bright students with deep roots in their rural communities. We support our scholarship recipients as they follow their education pursuits and develop into North Carolina’s next generation of rural leaders.”

The recipients of these scholarships will receive $3,000 for each of the four years they attend college. The purpose of the financial award is to help rural students attend college in the hope that when they graduate, they will pursue a job in a rural area of North Carolina, according to the release. Those awarded the scholarship were also chosen because of their strong community roots, like Ra’Quan Leary of Hertford County, who will be attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a desire to become a math teacher. 

“I am excited because this scholarship is aiding me in achieving my goal of giving back to my community,” Leary said in the release. “I want to change my students’ minds from that black-and-white shade to a bright vibrant splash of color through the love of math.”

Recipient S’Morya Greene of Lenoir County, who will attend the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University for business management, also has roots in her community.  

“This scholarship has given me a chance to show my community that there are people who care about our future,” Greene said in the release. “The Golden LEAF Scholarship will help me pursue my educational dreams.”