Presidential Scholarship winners announced

Andrea Bannister of Honea Path, S.C., Madeleine Clark of Charleston, S.C., Cheyenne Fuller of Greer, S.C., and Jacob Thomas of Waxhaw, N.C. are this year’s Presidential Scholarship recipients at Erskine College, Director of Admissions Bobby Duran has announced.

Selected from a group of finalists who were chosen from a larger pool of applicants from 10 states and four countries, the winners will join the Erskine College Class of 2021 on campus in the fall. The Presidential competition, hosted in February, brought 33 high school seniors to the Erskine College campus, where they participated in group interviews, team-building activities, and classroom experiences.

Bannister is a senior at Dixie High School in Due West, S.C., where she has participated in chorus, marching band, and Beta Club. In the community, she has served as a coach for an eight-and-under soccer team, has volunteered with her church youth group to offer assistance at area farms and residences, and has been a member of her church choir. She hopes to study medicine after completing her undergraduate degree.

Clark, a homeschooled student, has participated in a homeschool band and played several sports for a public high school. She volunteered in the Camp Happy Days program and also served as a counselor for Camp Joy at Bonclarken, the ARP camp and conference center. She plans to play for women’s soccer team at Erskine and plans to pursue her interests in sports and science through a career in athletic training.

Fuller is a senior at Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C., where she is a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society, French Club, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, and Beta Club. She has played varsity soccer at Eastside for four years and plans to play soccer at Erskine. She hopes to go on to medical school after completing her undergraduate degree and is interested in becoming a surgeon.

Thomas, a senior at Parkwood High School in Monroe, N.C., is president of his school’s National Arts Honors Society and a member of Beta Club, National Honor Society, and Crafting Club. As an active member of Junior Art League in his community, he worked on promoting  “Project2Heal,” helped to design ceiling tile murals for a local hospital, and assisted with his town’s Springfest. He has taken mission trips to Appalachia and participates in his church youth program and in Seth’s Hope Ministry. He plans to major in pre-pharmacy.

The Presidential Scholarship is valued at $30,000 each year and is available for four years, for a grand total of $120,000.