Source: Golden LEAF Foundation
ROCKY MOUNT — Today, the Golden LEAF Foundation announced that 215 rural North Carolina students were selected to receive up to a $14,000 Golden LEAF Scholarship, including nine in Robeson County.
High school seniors entering college as first year students are eligible for a $3,500 scholarship each year for up to four years of undergraduate study at a participating four-year North Carolina college or university. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,500 a year for up to three years of undergraduate study.
Recipients from rural or economically distressed North Carolina counties are selected based on future career goals and an expressed intent to contribute to the stateʼs rural communities upon graduation from college.
The Golden LEAF Foundation established the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program to broaden educational opportunities and provide support to students from rural counties with the goal that recipients will return and contribute to rural communities after graduation. The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) administers the program and selects students for awards.
“We are proud to award scholarships to students who have deep connections to their rural communities,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer. “These recipients were selected from nearly 1,600 applicants. We look forward to their future accomplishments as they continue their education and become North Carolina’s next generation of rural leaders.”
Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay interns $18 per hour for up to 400 hours of work. Internships take place between May and August.
“It is such a pleasure to offer congratulations to the Golden LEAF Scholarship recipients from my district,” said Senator Danny Britt. “Your willingness to pursue an education and return to your home county in the future is a strong indicator of future success for not only our rural communities but also our entire state.”
“I am incredibly proud of the students from my district who were this year’s Golden LEAF Scholars,” said Representative Brenden Jones. “Columbus County and Robeson County students are the future of our state, and it is excellent to see their accomplishments being recognized statewide.”
“I’m so excited to hear that we have nine students from Robeson County receiving the Golden LEAF Scholarship,” said Representative Jarrod Lowery. “This is a tremendous honor. We will all benefit from the knowledge and skills these students will bring back to rural North Carolina communities.”
The newly selected 2025 Golden LEAF Scholarship recipients from Robeson County are as follows:
Adisyn Bland, Lees McRae College, Purnell Swett High School
Kamryn Lowery, UNC – Pembroke, Purnell Swett High School
Gavin Merlo, North Carolina State University, Lumberton Senior High School
Vanesa Munguia Barrales, UNC – Chapel Hill, Saint Pauls High School
Saad Nasser, East Carolina University, Lumberton Senior High School
Jessa Oxendine, University Of Mount Olive, Antioch Christian Academy
Karina Rodriguez, UNC – Chapel Hill, NC School of Science and Math – Durham
Miasia Scippio, Winston-Salem State University, Red Springs High School
Damion Smith, UNC – Wilmington, Lumberton Senior High School
About Golden LEAF Foundation
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For 25 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation. The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state by helping create 68,000 jobs, more than $780 million in new payrolls, and more than 98,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at GoldenLEAF.org.
About North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) administers the program on behalf of the Golden LEAF Foundation. Established in 1965, NCSEAA is the State agency that promotes access to higher education by administering financial aid and savings programs, informing students and families about paying for college, teaching educators about financial aid administration and advocating for resources to support students.
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Contact
Jenny Tinklepaugh, Communications Manager
[email protected]
252.801.1370
Call:
T:910-739-4322
Address:
2175 N. Roberts Ave,
Lumberton, NC 28358
