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The Southern Maryland Chronicle
When News Matters, It Matters Where You Get Your News.
HUGHESVILLE, Md. — Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) has awarded $2,500 college scholarships to four high school seniors in its service area for 2025, recognizing their scholastic achievement, financial need, and community involvement. The recipients—Sophia Cheng, Maddox Cypress, Alexander Myers, and Ashlyn Zeier—join 132 students honored since SMECO’s scholarship program began in 1993. Additionally, three other students from the region received scholarships from the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC), of which SMECO is a member.
Sophia Cheng, graduating from Huntingtown High School in Calvert County, will attend Northeastern University in Boston to study public health. Cheng earned the Eric Lander Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Science, the Ivan Pavlov Award for Outstanding Achievement in AP Psychology, and the Varsity Minds in Motion Scholar Athletic Award. As varsity tennis team captain and president of the Calvert County high school science fair committee, she demonstrated leadership. Through Girls Who Code, Cheng developed an app for locating lunch spots with tutoring options. She volunteered in nursing homes, engaging residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s to enhance their quality of life. Cheng is the child of Mu Q Li-Cheng of Huntingtown.
Maddox Cypress, a Westlake High School graduate in Charles County, will study aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As vice president of Westlake’s National Honor Society, he received its Certificate of Excellence and organized an anti-bullying campaign. Cypress’s awards include the MESA Program, Team Vex Robotics Sportsmanship Awards, and the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence. He captained the Westlake Math Team, tutored peers in mathematics, and volunteered at soup kitchens and hospitals. This summer, he will intern at Naval Surface Weapons Center Dahlgren through the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program. Cypress is the child of Alphonso and Kina Holmes Cypress of Waldorf.
Alexander Myers, graduating from La Plata High School in Charles County, will pursue marine and environmental science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Myers earned Minds in Motion awards for varsity swimming, soccer, and track and field. Inducted into the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, he served as president and vice president of La Plata’s Polyglot club. Myers volunteered with Meals on Wheels and Fields 4 Valor for food deliveries and provided maintenance services at a local Montessori school. He also captained teams for the La Plata Youth Soccer Association. Myers is the child of Elissa Myers of La Plata.
Ashlyn Zeier, a Leonardtown High School graduate in St. Mary’s County, will enter the honors program at Pennsylvania Western University to study biology. Zeier sang in the Chamber Choir, All-County Honors Choir, and Tri-County Honors Choir, and served as vice president of the A Capella Club. As captain of Leonardtown’s varsity swim team, she set three team records and worked as head lifeguard for the local Elks lodge. Zeier was active in the National Honor Society, Key Club, Mental Health Awareness Club, Active Minds Club, and Student Leadership Council. She is the child of Tara and Douglas Zeier of Hollywood.
Beyond SMECO’s awards, VMDAEC’s Education Scholarship Foundation granted $124,000 in scholarships for the 2024-25 school year, including 33 Worth Hudson Scholarships honoring the foundation’s first chairman. Three students from SMECO’s service area received these awards: Garan Gray, a Patuxent High School senior, received $2,500; Mark White II, a La Plata High School senior, received $2,000; and Gabriel Dempsey, a Leonardtown High School senior, received $1,500. Gray is the child of Abbe Gray of Lusby, White is the child of Mark White of Swan Point, and Dempsey is the child of Michael Dempsey of California.
SMECO’s scholarship program evaluates applicants on academic performance, financial need, and engagement in school and community activities. The cooperative, serving Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and southern Prince George’s counties, has supported local students for over three decades. VMDAEC, representing Mid-Atlantic electric cooperatives, complements these efforts by funding higher education for students in its member regions. These scholarships reflect both organizations’ commitment to fostering educational opportunities for Southern Maryland’s youth.
Show your love for Southern Maryland by powering authoritative, in-depth reporting about your community, and keeping access free for neighbors who need it.
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David M. Higgins II is an award-winning journalist passionate about uncovering the truth and telling compelling stories. Born in Baltimore and raised in Southern Maryland, he has lived in several East… More by David M. Higgins II, Publisher/Editor
The Southern Maryland Chronicle(SoMDC) is an all-digital news source for SoMD. We cover all of Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties; along with the Southern portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County. SoMDC covers every aspect of the SoMD Region and will continue to grow with the community. SoMDC appreciates all feedback from the community, along with tips, pictures, articles contributed, and support.
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