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Eight scholarship recipients from area high schools were recently recognized by the Rotary Club of Orangeburg.
“This is truly one of the most significant events that we sponsor through this Rotary Club. This Rotary Club was founded in 1921, so it’s 103 years old. Early in its history, the Rotary Club of Orangeburg decided that it wanted to invest in the community’s young people. While not many people had the opportunity to go to college during the early years of the Rotary Club, as time marched on, many persons were recipients of scholarships from funds that were raised by this club,” said Dr. Leroy Davis, chairman of the club’s scholarship committee.
Duck races and golf tournaments were among the fundraisers, he said.
“This is a very important club for this community, and it’s important to recognize the young people that we will recognize today,” he said.
The 2024 Rotary Scholars each received $1,000 scholarships. They were recognized during a ceremony held at Cornerstone Church on May 14.
This year’s scholars include:
• Mikah Clark, Armondo Williams and Danasia Wright, Lake Marion High School
• Lauren Brockington, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School
• Kylee Bonnett, Orangeburg Preparatory School
• Darian Dawson, Mahirah Harper and Kristan Hubbard, High School for Health Professions
The scholars, who received certificates of achievement during the ceremony, were joined by their loved ones. They expressed their appreciation for their scholarships and discussed their plans for the future.
“I’m going to Clemson University in the fall. I’m going to be studying human nutrition and food sciences. I picked that major because I struggled for a little while with knowing how to eat right and struggled a lot with eating problems,” Bonnett said.
She said she picked her major, “so that I could maybe help other people learn so they wouldn’t have to go through the struggles that I did.”
“Mainly I just want to have a job that I will love and that I can help my kids like my parents have helped me,” Bonnett said.
Brockington will be attending Claflin University with a major in secondary education and a minor in biology.
“I’ve always had this deep connection for animals. I just wanted to become a veterinarian. I believe that with years to come, I can reach out to the kids that are coming after me and later on life still fulfill my passion of becoming a veterinarian. Thank you to the Rotary Club for offering me this beautiful scholarship,” she said.
Clark said he plans to attend Coastal Carolina University with a major in civil engineering.
“At first I wanted to be an architect, but I found out that civil engineering gives you more of the groundwork on what architects do. My love for that came from working with my grandfather in remodeling homes for people,” and seeing the joy that brings to homeowners, he said.
“I knew that that’s what I wanted to do once I grew up. So hopefully one day I can build houses for any of you,” Clark said.
Dawson plans to attend Claflin University with a major in biology.
“My career goal is to become an anesthesiologist. I chose this career path because I went under anesthesia as a young child. In a hospital, it’s a very stressful and very scary place. An anesthesiologist, of course, will comfort you and make sure you’re all right. So I chose that career path for that,” she said.
Harper will be attending the University of Houston with a major in communication sciences and disorders.
“The reason I chose that major was because even sometimes I have a problem with my own speech, and I know how the kids feel when they can’t properly announce what they want to say, or they feel like they aren’t heard because they can’t say what they want to say,” she said.
Harper continued, “I want to help them come out their shell, and I want to work with children in hospital settings. I want to make sure I have the biggest impact on a child. That’s probably the best study to do that. I’m really excited to receive this scholarship. I’m also thankful for my mom and thankful to the Rotary Club for allowing me to have this opportunity.”
Hubbard plans to attend Claflin University as a biology major.
“I would also like to be a part of their pharmacy partnership with MUSC because my career goal is to become a pharmacist. When I was younger, my mom had cancer. She was in the hospital and they always came to give her medicine. I always was very interested in what they were giving her and what they were doing with her,” she said.
Williams, whose brother, Jakendrick, was a scholarship winner last year, said he plans to attend Claflin University with a major in accounting.
“The reason I wanted to do accounting is because as a kid I always liked playing with money, I always had money, I was always managing my own money. That’s where that came from. I want to give a shout out to mama for telling me about this scholarship. I want to thank the Rotary Club for giving me this opportunity. Thank you,” he said.
Wright plans to attend basic training in the fall, but she will be attending Claflin University with a major in business administration the following spring.
“I chose business because I always had wanted to be my own boss and always had wanted to make my own money,” she said.
Davis said each student earned the right to be a scholarship winner “because of what you did academically, what you did in terms of community service and how you impressed your teachers and counselors.”
“They all wrote recommendations about you. You are here because collectively you are the epitome of what a successful high school graduate should be,” he said.
Davis also recognized the guidance counselors who helped get students to apply for the scholarship, as well as those who assisted the scholarship committee in selecting winners.
Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow “Good News with Gleaton” on Twitter at @DionneTandD
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A tornado warning means that your area either has a confirmed, on the ground twister, or that radar indicates one. When the alert goes off, se…
The Rotary Club of Orangeburg celebrated its 2024 scholars on May 14. Students pictured in the front row, from left, are Kristan Hubbard, Darian Dawson, Mahirah Harper and Kylee Bonnett. Back row, from left, are Mikah Clark, Danasia Wright, Lauren Brockington and Armondo Williams. Pictured with the students, from left, are Rotary Club President Dr. Albert Shuler and Rotary Scholarship Committee Chairman Dr. Leroy Davis.
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