Forty-Eight Area Students Receive Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation College Scholarship

Forty-eight students were awarded scholarships by the Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation College Scholarship Program during a ceremony that took place at the Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture & Enology on the campus of Surry Community College in Dobson on May 17. These scholarships, over a four-year period, will contribute $913,000 to the educational pursuits of the scholars.

SCC President Dr. David Shockley welcomed the scholarship recipients, their families and friends, along with school administrators from local high schools. SCC Foundation Executive Director Sheila Franklin introduced guest speaker Carly Johnson, who was a 2017 Armfield Scholarship recipient. Johnson spoke about the importance of education and her time as a student at Surry Community College and receiving the Armfield Scholarship, which helped her transfer to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master of Science Degree in Management. Johnson currently is employed at Surry Community College as a Student Success Advisor.

During her speech, Johnson commented, “I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education and that I possessed the mental capacity to do so, but I would soon discover that being a first-generation college student would pose many unique challenges. Receiving the Armfield Scholarship made transferring and attending a university a reality for me.”

Mr. Bedford Cannon, nephew of Edward M. Armfield and Armfield Board of Directors, Emeritus, spoke on behalf of the Armfield Foundation Board of Directors. Mindy Oakley, Executive Director of the Armfield Foundation, announced the winner of the Bedford Cannon Award. This award, created in honor of Cannon, is presented each year to the Armfield Scholar with the most outstanding scholarship application. It provides an additional $2,000 scholarship per academic year provided a 3.0 GPA is maintained. Jacob Mitchell of Surry Central High School was announced as this year’s recipient of the Bedford Cannon Award.

The 2022-2023 Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation College Scholars are as follows:

Elkin High School: Maddox Bovender, Paul Brinegar, Grace Harrison, Hallie Johnson, David Pelkey, Mia Reinhardt, Carolina Sixtos-Rodriguez, Bronwyn Sloop and Rachel Winfrey.

Millennium Charter Academy: Cesar Gonzalez.

Mount Airy High School: Sergio Garcia, Charlotte Hauser, Kylie James, Morgan Mayfield and Daniel Pitt.

East Surry High School: Leah Bullington, Karli Campbell, Katie Collins, Derek Freeman, Claire Hardy, Samarin Kipple, Bennet Lin, Dylan Myers and Lily Watson. Kipple also received the John C. McKenzie Award, which is named in honor of a respected employee of Mr. Armfield, is awarded to the top-ranked scholarship applicant from East Surry High School and includes an additional $1,000 scholarship per academic year.

North Surry High School: Katie Butler, Sky Estrada, Ashley Flores, Sarah Mauldin and Grace Ross.

Surry Central High School: Emma Ford, Brittany Frausto, Abigail Hernandez Mata, Amber McDevitt, Jacob Mitchell, Dafne Salgado-Perez and Olivia Smith. Mitchell was also awarded the Bedford Cannon Award.

Surry Early College High School of Design: Cora Branch, Jennifer Carranza, Isabel Elias, Christopher Hobbs, Joshua Jones, Mercedes Lara, Country Lor, Seth Ramey and Ethan Smith.

Surry Community College: Derek Vannieuwkoop and Alyssa Yount.

The Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation has awarded $2.3 million in scholarships to deserving students graduating from the public high schools in Surry County since 2005. Each year, scholarships are awarded to students at East Surry High School, North Surry High School, Surry Central, Mount Airy High School, Elkin High School, and Millennium Charter Academy. Scholarships are given to students who will be attending four-year colleges and universities or Surry Community College, and to students at Surry Community College who will be transferring to a four-year school to complete their undergraduate degree.

Scholarships range in value from $3,600 per year for Surry Community College attendees to $12,500 per year for students attending higher-cost private colleges and universities. Scholarships are renewable for one additional year for Surry Community College students or students transferring from Surry Community College to a four-year institution, and for three additional years for students attending four-year schools immediately out of high school.