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| Jackson County seventh-graders who were inducted into New Century Scholars on Monday, Nov. 6 during a ceremony held at SCC’s Jackson Campus are front row, from left: Kassity Fowler, Jailyn Goolsby, Madelyn Hooper, Elana Istvan and Michael Kilpatrick. Second row, left to right: Elise Mahoney, Stephanie Martinez-Cedillo, Lydia Norman, Christian Perez, Haley Rankins and Mahalah Stewart. Back row, left to right: Angela Woodard and Narally Yanez. Not pictured: Aiden Owen and Hohverg Palacios-Poxtan. |
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| Macon County seventh-graders who were inducted into New Century Scholars on Monday, Nov. 6 during a ceremony held at SCC’s Jackson Campus are front row, from left to right: Zachary Pazar, Ingrid Mendoza, Hannah Smith, Ava May, Keira Watford and Riley Berry. Second row, left to right: David Campbell, Sophia Waters, Adalee McGaha, Destiny Collins and Emily Deal. Back row, left to right: Robbie Barnes, Elizabeth Puckett and Rebecca Dooley. Not pictured: Brittany Damian-Clemente. |
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| Swain County seventh-graders who were inducted into New Century Scholars on Monday, Nov. 6 during a ceremony held at SCC’s Jackson Campus are front row, from left: Samantha Birchfield, Madison Wegner, Hannah Shuler, Kennedy Lee and Keegan Taylor. Second row, left to right: Ethan Barr, Amelia Rogers, Isaac Sawyer, Dolly Mathis and Ronnie Griggs. Back row, left to right: Katie Simonds, Aiden Curtis, Bethany Daniel and Kaitlyn Conner. Not pictured: Hailey Strickland and Kailey Strickland. |
Forty-six seventh-graders from Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties were inducted into the New Century Scholars program on Monday, Nov. 6, during a ceremony held at SCC’s Jackson Campus.
Fifteen seventh-graders from Jackson County, 15 from Macon County and 16 from Swain County become New Century Scholars, a program that was established in 1995 by the late Dr. Charles McConnell, superintendent for Jackson County Schools at the time and Dr. Barry Russell, then-SCC president.
The program, funded solely by private gifts, provides last-dollar tuition assistance at SCC.
"It's so impressive to me that in our small service area, we have so many generous folks who always rise to the occasion and support our New Century Scholars," said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC president. "Just by talking to some of the fathers and mothers who came to the induction ceremony, I can tell what a tremendous help it is to already have their children's college education covered at SCC. That takes so much pressure off of hard-working families, and what a blessing it is for these students to already know at such a young age that they will one day be able to attend one of the best community colleges in the nation."
Over 2,345 students have been inducted into New Century Scholars since 1995.
The program is designed to improve academic readiness, bolster student persistence toward high school graduation and increase the college attendance rate.
In addition to working toward their high school diplomas, New Century Scholars are expected to participate in community service activities, develop leadership skills, explore potential career options and prepare for success in college.
The program’s funding is generated by annual donations from residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties.
Donations may be made payable to New Century Scholars and sent to the SCC Foundation, 447 College Drive; Sylva, NC 28779.
For more information about New Century Scholars, contact Pamela Judson, SCC’s New Century Scholars coordinator, at 828.339.4477 or pjudson@southwesterncc.edu.
