Erskine College chooses scholarship winners
Two Presidential Scholarship winners led a list of five high school seniors recently selected to receive top scholarships at Erskine College.
Braden Elliott Anderson of Kathleen, Ga., a student at Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Ga., and Jordan Joseph of Forsyth, Ga., a student at Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Ga., have each been chosen to receive an Erskine College Presidential Scholarship.
The Presidential Scholarship, awarded for the coming academic year, is named in honor of the 15 presidents who have led Erskine College since the school’s founding in 1839. The scholarship covers tuition, room, board and fees, minus any state, federal and outside scholarships or grants. The value of the scholarship over four years is approximately $165,000. It is renewable for four years of study, and requires the recipient to maintain an Erskine GPA of 3.0 and to uphold the ideals and standards of Erskine College.
The two winners of Erskine’s most prestigious scholarship were selected from among 28 finalists who came to the campus March 15-16 for the competition. The finalists participated in three different interviews and were guests at a banquet hosted by Erskine’s president and first lady.
Anderson, a member of the Houston County High School Beta Club and a student in a number of Advanced Placement courses, has lettered in soccer, served as captain of his high school and club soccer teams, and was selected to play on the Georgia State Olympic Development (ODP) Team as well as on the Regional ODP Team. His experience as a volunteer in his church, school, and community is extensive, and includes service as a choir member, a Relay for Life participant, and a concession stand manager for the Houston County Sharks Program, a sports program for physically handicapped students. He has taken a leadership role in Kappa Alpha Zeta (KAZ), a local volunteer sorority and fraternity.
Joseph, a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, drama club, and other organizations at her school, has served as varsity cheerleading captain, varsity soccer captain, and a member of the Student Leadership Institute. She has attended Student Leadership University and is involved in her church youth group. She has taken several mission trips in the United States and abroad and has volunteered for Great Day of Service and the Atlanta Block Party. She received the Patriot Award as a sophomore and again as a senior, and was chosen as homecoming queen in 2011. She has participated in Impact 360, a program equipping students to become Christ-centered servant leaders and including apologetics studies, training at corporate Chick-Fil-A, and service opportunities.
Three other major scholarship award winners, two Solomon Scholars and one Wylie Scholar, were also selected from among the 28 finalists and were announced following the competition.
Selected to receive the Solomon Scholarship, which covers tuition and is renewable for a total of four years of study, were Ashley Prentice of Isle of Palms, S.C., and Reid A. Windmiller of Peachtree City, Ga.
Prentice attends Charleston County School of the Arts, where she is a creative writing major. Treasurer for her school’s National Honor Society chapter, she also serves as editor of the yearbook and vice president of Spanish Club. She earned the Girl Scout Silver Award in 2010 for organizing an arts program at a local elementary school and the Gold Award in 2012 for promoting preservation and awareness of the sand dune environment in her community. Her volunteer efforts have included work with vacation Bible school at her church as well as with the Crisis Ministries Homeless Shelter.
Windmiller attends McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Ga., where he is a National Beta Club member and has received the Silver Academic Award and the Gold Academic Award.
He earned a varsity letter in men’s soccer and served as captain of his junior varsity soccer team. He has also played club soccer. A member of his church’s youth group, he has assisted with a special needs kindergarten Sunday school class and has volunteered at the Central Men’s Night Shelter in Atlanta and at the Concorde Village Children’s Ministry in Peachtree City.
The winner of the Wylie Scholarship, which provides $20,000 and is renewable for a total of four years of study, was Klara Milojkovic of Fort Mill, S.C.
Milojikovic serves as secretary for the Lambda Gamma Chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha, a national home school honor society. She has studied piano since 2002, and received honorable mention at the South Carolina Piano Festival in 2012. She is a member of the Girls’ Youth Group at her church, where she also serves as a nursery worker. Her many volunteer activities include work with the Children’s Programs of Fort Mill Library; with the Humane Society of York County; as a counselor at the Palmetto Sports Camp; and as a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child. She also founded a literary group for preteens in her area.
“Erskine would like to congratulate each of these scholars,” Admissions Director Tobe Frierson said. “We look forward to welcoming them to our community in August.”
All five scholarship winners will ply their academic talents and offer their experience as volunteer leaders when they come to the campus as Erskine College freshmen this fall.
Frierson also noted that Anderson and Windmiller plan to be student athletes. “We are excited about cheering them on as members of the Flying Fleet Men’s Soccer Team,” she said.
