Thanks to a generous $34,000 donation from Circle K and EMC Tickets, the S.C. State Fair was able to award an additional three scholarships, increasing the total from 50 to 53.
Courtesy photo
SOUTH CAROLINA — The South Carolina State Fair has announced the 2024 recipients of its annual Ride of Your Life Scholarship program. This year, 53 high school seniors across the state have been chosen to receive these prestigious $10,000 scholarships.
Thanks to a generous $34,000 donation from Circle K and EMC Tickets, the S.C. State Fair was able to award an additional three scholarships, increasing the total from 50 to 53. One of the 53 scholarships was exclusively designated for a Circle K employee or dependant.
“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s scholarship recipients and to invest in these students’ futures,” says South Carolina State Fair general manager, Nancy Smith. “Our scholarship program is at the heart of what we do here at the South Carolina State Fair, and supporting future scholars from our state means a great deal to our organization.”
Each year, the South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, awards scholarships to South Carolina high school students planning to pursue their studies at any public or private college, university, or technical college in the state of South Carolina. These $10,000 scholarships are awarded at an annual rate of $2,500 and are based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, need and completeness of the application.
This year, applicants were asked to write an essay responding to the thought-provoking question, “If you could have a theme song, what would it be and why?”
“One thing that struck me most was how the answers seemed to connect me with the individuals. It is amazing how much you can learn about a person’s life through their connection with a song,” says Smith. “This essay prompt allowed us to really see just how interesting, how deep, and how creative this year’s applicants were.”
The S.C. State Fair has a long history of supporting education, and the Ride of Your Life Scholarship program is just one of the many ways in which the organization gives back to the community. Since the program’s inception in 1997, the S.C. State Fair has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships.
This year’s recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants from across the state, representing all seven of South Carolina’s congressional districts. The scholarship funds must be used at a South Carolina university, college, or institution and may cover tuition or other educational expenses such as on-campus housing, a computer or textbooks. Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year to receive funding for that year.
District 1
Alyssa Almaguer — Lucy G. Beckham High School
Lealani Elkins — Bluffton High School
Addison Fugate — Ashley Ridge High School
Olivia Jones — Fort Dorchester High School
Madison Samuel — Cane Bay High School
Alex Vega — Battery Creek High School
Michael Woody — Wando High School
District 2
Tristan Berzins — Cardinal Newman High School
Caroline Easterling — Ben Lippen School
Countess Hodges — Richland Northeast High School
Katharine Ostergaard — SC Governors School for Agriculture
Jayne Ricard — Pelion High School
Joshua Wilder — Lexington High School
Drayden Young — Blythewood High School
District 3
Brennen Banks — Mid Carolina High School
Chandler Dailey — Clinton High School
Timothy Fulmer — SC Governor’s School for Agriculture
Owen Greenlee — TL Hanna High School
Jonathan Jablonski — Pendleton High School
Cody Rop — Wren High School
Brandi Williams — Easley High School
Katie Willis — Strom Thurmond High School
District 4
Lauren Cameron — Mauldin High School
Raja Jackson — Legacy Early College
Olivia Lee — Powdersville High School
Mary Caroline Lominack — Dorman High School
Caden Lumm — Brashier Middle College
Kathryn Phillips — Landrum High School
Crystal Reyes-Lopez — Berea High School
District 5
Tyus Armstrong — Fairfield Central High School
Geoffrey Davis — Union County High School
Colette Dismukes — Home School
Makayla Hughes — Chester High School
Kelly McKinney —Lewisville High School
Stella Miller — Camden High School
Datavion White — Great Falls High School
District 6
Charles Boyd — Ridgeview High School
Nathaniel Harris — Ashley Ridge High School
Gabrielle Jourdain — Calhoun Academy
Jackston Nance — Orangeburg High School for Health Professions
Emory Peay — W.J. Keenan High School
Atticus Ralph — Bishop England High School
Drew Young — Dorchester Academy
District 7
Madigan Berry — Andrews High School
Steven Campbell — Conway High School
Jordan Cooper — South Florence High School
Kalila Cunningham — Myrtle Beach High School
Camper Dickinson — Georgetown High School
Morgan Freiler — Scholars Academy High School
Kristian Hennagan — Latta High School
Lydia McCray — Academy for Technology & Academics
Brian Rosales — St. James High School High School