Nowhere is the mission of the Clinton Rotary Club more on display than its annual Clinton Rotary Club Scholarship to students at Sampson Community College. The Scholarship was established to recognize deserving students from Sampson County who desire to further their education.

“Education is one of the areas of focus for Rotary International,” says Candace Taylor, President of the Clinton Rotary Club. “Members are very proud and supportive of our local community college and are very interested in helping students achieve their dream that might be unattainable otherwise.  Each year at least one member of the club attends the scholarship picnic to meet the club recipients and even pass around the heart felt thank you notes at a meeting which were written by the scholars.”

Sessoms is presented by Taylor’s husband, Buck.

Clinton Rotary Club awards four scholarships to students each year at Sampson Community College. To receive this scholarship, students should be Sampson County residents enrolling at Sampson Community College in a course of study leading to an associate degree or a certificate. They may be a first or a second-year student, but preference is given to first year students from area high schools. A minimum GPA of 2.0 must be maintained throughout the duration of the scholarship and the student must remain enrolled at SCC. This year’s recipients include Cristiana Flores Vanegas, Crystal Wilson, Erynn Sessoms and Lesly Grimaldo. One-thousand-dollar awards will be disbursed over two semesters in increments of $500 per semester.

“Scholarships are available, but students and parents need to be aggressive and look for available resources,” adds Taylor. “Many of the students at SCC are nontraditional students who work and have families at home which means that scholarships are even more necessary to help with childcare, transportation, books, etc. Clinton Rotary Club members see their need and are willing to help. Students need to apply.“

Sampson Community College thanks donors to the SCC Foundation for making dreams come true. SCC congratulates the scholars who directly benefit from these gifts. For more information about donating scholarships to students, contact Lisa Turlington at lturlington@sampsoncc.edu or at 910.900.4072.