Spartanburg Community College Foundation awards 2015-2016 Student Scholarships
December 14, 2015
The Spartanburg Community College (SCC) Foundation recently recognized outstanding students and donors at the annual Scholarship and Donor Brunch held at the Marriott at Renaissance Park in Spartanburg. Academic scholarships were awarded to 85 students, all made possible thanks to generous donors.
“Thanks to those who give to the Foundation, we are able to award these scholarships to deserving students, many who could not otherwise attend college,” explains Sam Hook, executive director of SCC Advancement and the SCC Foundation. “We commemorate our donors’ generosity and the impact they make on our students’ lives who will, in return, make a difference in our community. It’s amazing to see how all contributions, even a modest contributions, can make a long lasting impression.”
SCC President Henry C. Giles, Jr. welcomed guests saying, “We owe much to you, our donors – individuals, business and industry – who make these scholarships available to our students. Each of you is paying great dividends back to our community through scholarships, and to students who need a little help. Thank you. And, to you, our students who have received these valuable scholarships, thank you for taking steps to improve yourself through education.
“This event is a small token of our appreciation to you and the difference you all make in our community. The door to higher education for many is Spartanburg Community College, and without your generous donations and hard work, college would be impossible for many.”
Attendees also heard from two guest speakers, each who have benefitted from SCC scholarships but from two unique perspectives – that of a student as well as an employer.
Randy Hawkins, a student in SCC’s Industrial Engineering Technology Program, shared his journey to SCC after receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of South Carolina Upstate. The married, 26-year-old said in high school he always heard a four-year degree was “the ticket” and that’s all he would need to find a good job. And for most, that is true. But Hawkins said things were a bit different for him. After graduating with a biology degree, Hawkins sent out 264 job applications and finally landed a lab job using biology skills. “Considering I had no real work experience in my field, the job was a really good opportunity, so I took it. And, although I enjoyed what I was doing and the people I worked with, after a year, I discovered I wasn’t passionate about the work, so that’s when I decided I needed a career change.” Hawkins went on to say he thought back to his college job, making a variety of repairs for the housing department at USC Upstate, that he really enjoyed the job and the challenge of troubleshooting, fixing things. “So, I considered my options and decided to attend SCC.”
After being accepted at SCC, Hawkins found out about the College’s Technical Scholars Program where students have the unique opportunity to expand learning beyond the classroom to develop skills for a real-world experience at participating companies. Technical scholar students attend SCC classes full-time, in an eligible degree program, while working part-time with a sponsor company, who may also provide tuition assistance for the student. Hawkins applied for a very competitive spot in the Duke Energy Technical Scholars Program and from 160 applicants, he was one of 24 students selected to participate. “I am so grateful to SCC for the opportunities provided to me. Before I came to SCC, I had no real work experience to pursue a job, but now I am in college again and working at Duke Energy gaining real job experience.”
From the employer’s perspective, Ryan Childers, BMW’s manager for Training and Talent, shared stories of SCC students who have been part of the BMW Technical Scholars Program, graduated from SCC and become valued BMW team members – all thanks to the BMW’s ongoing and valued partnership with SCC. “We have had a strong relationship with SCC from the beginning, in 2010, when our technical scholars partnership began,” explains Childers. “Forty-five percent of our BMW Technical Scholars are from SCC” which is a strong testament to the collaborative partnership between our organizations. “It warms my heart to see the many BMW Technical Scholars from SCC, hear updates from them about their family, their career – all the while knowing that we are contributing to the success of our organizations and our community.” Childers encouraged SCC students to work hard and to allow their performance show their character and their work ethic, and to take full advantage of opportunities at SCC.
Scholarships awarded for the 2015-2016 academic year are listed below, as well as the SCC student scholar recipient and the respective donor:
