42 local students are Palmetto Fellows

By BELTON WHITE
Item Staff Writer
bwhite@theitem.com

For 42 college students who graduated from high schools in the area, the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship is paying for a significant portion of their in-state tuition.

Palmetto Fellows get $6,700 their first year and if they continue their academic success, they will be eligible for $7,500 for three more years. Those majoring in math, science or a related field are eligible to receive $10,000 a year for their final three years at school.

In high school, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5, be in the top 6 percent of their classes and either score at least a 1,200 on the SAT or a 27 on the ACT.

Students with at least a 1,400 on the SAT and a 4.0 GPA are also eligible for the scholarship that applies only to South Carolina universities and colleges.

The funds can go a long way toward making college a reality for some.

"I would still be able to go to Clemson, but I wanted to get the scholarship, you know, it is a lot of money," said 18-year-old Francie Green of Lynchburg, a freshman at Clemson University. "I knew I could do it. I set that goal for myself my senior year, and I took the ACT up until the very last minute."

Even those students who didn't know about the scholarship program while in high school were pleased to have been awarded the money.

"I didn't know about Palmetto Fellows until after my guidance counselor told me," said Sumter resident Sean Moylan, 18, a freshman at the University of South Carolina. "I didn't focus on getting it because I didn't know it existed. But I'm glad he told me about it."

The scholarship also helps in keeping down students' debt.

"That's covering a lot of my tuition. I'm very grateful for it," said 19-year-old Katherine Hancock of Sumter, a student at USC. Without it, "I would have had to get a lot more loans, but the Palmetto Fellows covers about half of my tuition."

Other students changed their mind about whether they'd leave the state to go to school after being awarded the scholarship.

"At one point, in my junior year, I thought about going to Emory, but it was just too hard to pass up the scholarship," said 18-year-old Stephanie Harrelson, who attended Robert E. Lee and is now a freshman at Coker College. "So I started thinking about in-state when I found out I would be eligible for Palmetto Fellows."

While at college, the students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to renew the scholarship every year.

The scholarship was administered by South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to 1,850 South Carolina students this year. The program was enacted in 1988 by the General Assembly.

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS:
The following students from Clarendon, Lee and Sumter counties accepted the scholarship:

Crestwood High School

Kathy W. Kirvin at Clemson University

Sean T. Moylan at the University of South Carolina



East Clarendon High School

Brandi N. McGee at Coker College

William D. Thigpen at Francis Marion University

Raina J. Wallace at Columbia College



Homeward Education Association

Andrew R. Stipp at Bob Jones University



Lakewood High School

George Bates at Clemson University

Nicole C. Drown at Winthrop University

Travis C. Harnage at Winthrop University



Laurence Manning Academy

Brooke Brown at Francis Marion University

Shelbee D. Cupp at Erskine College

Ashleigh S. Hodge at the University of South Carolina



Manning High School

Lauren T. Stukes at Columbia College

Kristin J. Weir at the College of Charleston



Robert E. Lee Academy

Francie Green at Clemson University

Stephanie M. Harrelson at Coker College

Margaret R. Randall at Clemson University



Sumter High School

Rebecca B. Burns at Clemson University

David R. Chambers at Clemson University

Naima L. Clark at Clemson University

Erin E. Ezell at Converse College

Katherine L. Hancock at the University of South Carolina

Earl H. Honeycutt at Furman University

Alexander G. Hubbard at Wofford College

Zachary D. Johnson at Clemson University

Bryan P. Mason at the University of South Carolina

Douglas R. Morte at Clemson University

Corey M. Park at Clemson University

Mary R. Scott at Converse College

Makenzie N. Shipes at Charleston Southern University

Courtney R. Strimpfel at Furman University

Steven J. Till at Clemson University

Sydney E. Vatrano at Clemson University

Courtney T. Ward at Clemson University

Courtney E. Williams at Winthrop University



Thomas Sumter Academy

Meghan B. Baldwin at Charleston Southern University

Charles A. Bolton at Wofford College

Sean M. Hartzell at Clemson University

Brittany N. McLeod at the University of South Carolina

Meredith A. Snapp at Charleston Southern University

Erin L. Welsh at Clemson University



Wilson Hall

Hope L. Demer at Winthrop University