Swish. That is the inevitable and unavoidable sound that shopping carts make as swarms of fast-moving parents and students move throughout the “back-to-school” aisles in attempts to check off an item on their extensive to-do list. This list facilitates a mixture of emotion and a sense of burdensome urgency laced with feelings of anticipation provided by the new and unknown world called college. Through the reduction of financial barriers, Coastal Community Foundation’s General Scholarships allow for students to be focused on the excitement of pursuing a college career rather than the heavy weight of their education’s expenses. Granting $226,400 in scholarships this year, Coastal Community Foundation has assisted 120 deserving students in bringing their aspirations for a college education to fruition. Generous donors throughout the Lowcountry have allocated the funding for these grants planting seeds for future community leaders. Recipients, carefully selected based upon their academic credentials, ambitions for the future, and financial need, hail from several counties and various backgrounds. They are alike, however, in their aspirations to purpose their education for the betterment of the whole community.
Jonathon Heyward, a multiple-year scholarship recipient from Charleston, describes his story eloquently, claiming that, “for the majority of my life, I have been raised in a single parent household with another younger sibling. This situation has brought many financial obstacles making it sometimes difficult to continue my musical career. Ever since the 9th grade, it has been a dream of mine to continue my studies as a musician at a conservatory. The Coastal Community Foundation has truly made my dream come true and I am so grateful for the continued support. I am currently a junior studying Cello Performance at The Boston Conservatory of Music. I hope to continue my education with a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting and to later become a Music Director of a symphony orchestra. My aspirations as a Music Director would consist of building a strong education and community outreach program making music more accessible to everyone.” Eager for and thoughtful in their college pursuits, scholarship recipients like Heyward brighten the back-to-school equation.
For a full list of General Scholarship winners please visit: https://coastalcommunityfoundation.org/news/news.html?id=211&year=2012
