Over 100 students from Western North Carolina whose ability to pay for college was impacted by Tropical Storm Helene will receive a projected $1.3 million from the North Carolina Community Foundation to support their studies.
The scholarships were awarded to 110 students from 24 WNC counties through the foundation’s Disaster Relief and Resilience Scholarship, according to a Aug. 14 news release. More than $500,000 was awarded for the 2025-26 academic year alone. These students can renew their scholarship for three additional years provided they remain enrolled at their college or university. This means a total of over $1.3 million will support Helene-impacted students through 2029, spokesperson Jason Jennings told the Citizen Times.
An Appalachian State University student whose flooded home forced him to live elsewhere while paying for repairs; a full-time graduate student at Duke University whose Asheville home and workplace were severely impacted; a first-year Emmanuel University student whose Mars Hill home was eroded, bringing long-term financial strain to her parents, are just three of the students receiving financial help through the fund.
“The erosion will be an ongoing problem for years to come, and the costs have affected my family’s savings,” Anna Barnette, the Emmanual University student, said in the release.
“These students have shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of significant challenges experienced after Hurricane Helene. We’re honored to help them stay on track toward their degrees and long-term goals,” Kathryn Holding, the foundation’s vice president of philanthropic services, said in the release.
Everything inside Kendall Clark’s family home in Avery County was destroyed when Helene swept through the region, bringing an estimated $60 billion in damages accross its path.
Clark spent thousands to help her family repair the home and replace her car, which is vital for commuting to school and work in the rural area. She is a senior biology student at Appalachian State University, and is determined to become a wildlife biologist focused on conservation and animal rehabilitation in the WNC mountains.
“The loss was monumental for my family, This experience quite literally changed my life and how I envision things. I realized that things can change in the blink of an eye and that I should never take what I have for granted,” Clark said in the news release.
Scholarships were awarded to incoming first-year students, current undergraduates, and graduate students attending both two- and four-year colleges and universities. Much of the money went to first-year students or currently enrolled undergraduates, the release said.
Jennings said funding came from donations made to the scholarship and through the North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. This fund was previously used to support students impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
