Charter Institute Success Scholarship winners headed to Erskine College

Erskine College presented two students with the $100,000 Charter Institute Success Scholarship May 15 during the Charter Institute Awards Banquet at the Alumni Center in downtown Columbia, S.C. High school seniors Ebony Dixon of the Cyber Academy of South Carolina and Adrianna Pettus of Gray Collegiate Academy were named the scholarship recipients.

Erskine President Dr. Steve Adamson and Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Paul Bell, who also serves as Interim Vice President for Enrollment, were on hand to congratulate the winners.

To qualify, the students achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher and graduated from a school authorized by the Charter Institute at Erskine. Scholarship funds will be awarded over the course of four years at Erskine.

“We’re excited to welcome Ebony and Adrianna to the Erskine College family,” Bell says. “These students have received a standout education at Charter Institute schools, and we look forward to seeing them excel here at Erskine.”

Ebony, who plans to major in biology, studied Health Science and Family Consumer Science at the Cyber Academy of South Carolina, a high school which emphasizes career readiness.

She has earned credentials in Basic Life Support and Microburst Soft Skills and is also a musician, with the cello as her chosen instrument. Ebony hopes to become a physician.

At Gray Collegiate Academy, Adrianna was honored for graduating with a GPA of 4.0 or higher and was named to the A/B honor roll for dual enrollment courses.

She was the captain of her high school dance team for two years and plans to join the dance team at Erskine. Adrianna hopes to major in health science and enter a physician assistant program.

“We congratulate this year’s scholarship recipients and look forward to all they will accomplish at Erskine,” says Dr. Adamson. “We are pleased to partner with the Charter Institute through this scholarship.”

The Charter Institute Awards Banquet is an annual event celebrating the Student, Teacher, and Volunteer of the Year nominees from Charter Institute schools across the state. This year, 100 nominees and award recipients were recognized.

The creation of the Charter Institute at Erskine enables the college to support innovation and flexibility in the K-12 educational space in South Carolina. Through a shared passion for high-quality public education in rural areas, Erskine and the Institute have provided tens of thousands of families across the state with more choices for their children’s education.

All charter schools in South Carolina are considered public schools and are tuition-free and open to all children eligible to attend public schools.

At top, l. to r.: Paul Bell; Jamie Scorsone, executive director, Cyber Academy of South Carolina; Stephanie Wells, high school principal, Cyber Academy; Ebony Dixon; Dr. Steve Adamson; and David Crook, CEO, The Heron Institute.