Foundation Announces Awards
For over twenty years, the Southern Virginia Higher Education Foundation (SVHEF) has proudly supported post-secondary education for residents in the rural piedmont region. The SVHEF awards scholarships year round, lending more opportunities for someone to enroll in classes.
“We want generations to stay local. Having the opportunity to work and attend class benefits our community,” said SVHEF Chair Monica Pounds.
The school calendar year, Fall 2023 to Summer 2024, the SVHEF Scholarship Committee awarded over $70,000 supporting seventy-eight students enrolled at these learning institutions: Danville Community College, Southside Virginia Community College, Old Dominion University-online, and Workforce Training Programs offered at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center.
In order for Halifax County and the surrounding area to grow, it is vital for everyone to have local access to affordable education. The SVHEF’s umbrella of scholarships support all genres of study. While some scholarships are geared toward specific fields of study like Healthcare, Education, Business, Information Technology, and Workforce Training. A full list of scholarships is located online at www.svhef.org.
“We want to help residents obtain gainful employment while also providing support for those who desire to climb the corporate ranks,” said SVHEF Chair Monica Pounds.
Summer Scholarship awards totaled over $10,000. Below are the recipients listed by college and training center.
Danville Community College student Madison Dunkley who is studying to become a Registered Nurse. Dunkley was awarded the Dr. W. Joseph Ferguson Memorial Scholarship and the Hope-Tone Scholarship.
Southside Virginia Community College students who received the Dr. W. Joseph Ferguson Memorial Scholarships are: Arett Bernard who is studying IT Networking and Raeanne Hudson- General Studies. Bernard also received the Wilson Memorial Scholarship. Healthcare students enrolled at SVCC that received the Dr. Bill Bell Memorial Scholarships are Terri Bradshaw and Stephanie Goodlow. The Hope-Tone Scholarship was awarded to Alayna Newby who is enrolled in medical science. The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) Scholarship was awarded to two Information Technology students: Ethan Wilkerson for IT A+ Server+ and Darius Younger Cyber Security- Cloud Computing.
Zachary Perkins is attending Old Dominion University- online and is focused on Computer Science. Perkins received the Dr. W. Joseph Memorial Scholarship.
Workforce Training Programs offered at SVHEC include HVAC, Welding and Information Technology(IT). HVAC and Welding cohorts will resume this fall. The Summer IT students who received the Microsoft Scholars Award are: Muhsin Brickhouse, Heather Davis, Morgan Dickerson, Tysen Glass, and Earnest Randolph Jr. Cameron Jones received the Elliott Electric, Inc. Scholarship and Wyatt McAbee received the Foundation Scholarship.
Scholarships are now being accepted for the Fall 2024 semester. Applicants will need to submit their personal essay, two letters of reference with their completed application. The scholarship application is available online https://svhef.org/svhef-scholarship-application/
For more information contact SVHEF Scholarships and Outreach Coordinator Liza Fulton, 434-572-5448 or email lizafulton@svhef.org.