Staff reports
Four Beaufort High School seniors were among the 11 outstanding Beaufort County seniors named Heritage Classic Foundation scholars for the 2025-2026 school year.
Sophia (Sophie) Brown, Laurel Hinderliter, James Riddle and Halle Tran were among the seniors honored Monday, March 16, at Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island.
Seniors in all Beaufort and Jasper County high schools were eligible to apply, and applications were reviewed on the basis of academic success, community service, essays written by the student and financial need. Fourteen finalists were interviewed by the Scholar Committee.
During Monday’s awards presentation, told the audience, “This is always an exciting day for the Heritage Classic Foundation,” Heritage Classic Foundation Chairman Simon Fraser said during the awards presentation. “We believe the résumés of these young adults are stronger than ever. The teachers and administrators of our school systems, as well as the award winners, deserve special praise.”
Fraser added, “You are not just straight-A students. You are leaders in your schools, communities and churches. Your interests range from volunteerism to sports to caring for the environment.”
Six of the 11 newly named Scholars will receive a $16,000 scholarship over the next four years. Four additional awards carry a $20,000 opportunity.
Two of the latter scholarships honor Scholar Committee chairmen who have passed, John Zimmerman and Mike Malanick. One honors the late Scholar Committee member Charlie Brown, and the Tartan Club Award recognizes the donations made by the Tartan Club. Created by the Heritage Classic Foundation, the Tartan Club is a group made up of individuals throughout the community who share a desire to help others through the awarding of scholar grants for area students.
The Kirby Scholarship, a one-year $4,000 scholar award, was created in memoriam of past Scholar Committee chairman Ward Kirby and is granted every year.
Beaufort High’s Halle Tran won the Charlie Brown Award, one of the $20,000 scholarships.
Tran is the president of the Beaufort High Garden Club that distributes free fresh produce to the community. She is a National Merit Semifinalist and AP Scholar with Distinction who plans to study Biochemistry and have a career in medicine. She has interned at two medical facilities in her community.
Tran also cares about the environment — she is a 10-year veteran of the Friends of Hunting Island Sea Turtle Conservation Project.
Beaufort’s Sophia (Sophie) Brown and Laurel Hinderliter were awarded the $16,000 scholarships.
Brown co-founded a student newspaper at Beaufort High and was the captain of the tennis team. She also plays soccer and is the senior class vice president. She volunteers with CAPA and takes sustainability seriously, spending time as “Adopt-a-Highway” trash collector and testing water quality for Adopt-a-Stream.
She intends to study environmental studies and go on to law school.
Hinderliter co-founded Students Demand Action at Beaufort High School, a gun violence prevention organization. As advocacy lead, she spoke to legislators at the South Carolina Statehouse. She was president of the French National Honor Society and is a School Improvement Council student representative.
Hinderliter’s interest in medicine earned her a summer internship at Beaufort Memorial.
Beaufort High’s James Riddle won the Ward Kirby Award.
Riddle plays in the Beaufort High concert band and acts in the University of South Carolina’s Children’s Theatre. He is heavily involved in his church and wants to become a minister. He obtained an associate’s degree through dual enrollment credits and works part time at Chick-fil-A.
Other winners include Bluffton High School’s Tamyra Bolden, Katherine Seraiah Riddle and Rebecca Wohn; Hilton Head Island High School’s Jackson Hollman and Kaden Stewart; Legacy Christian Academy’s William Carter Cole; and May River High School’s Myla Greene.
Next fall, a total of 49 Beaufort and Jasper County collegians will be attending school and will have received Foundation grants at an expenditure of $194,000. A grand total of $5.75 million will have been awarded to 408 students after the 2026 distribution.
In addition to these 11 scholarships, the Foundation is funding four $2,500 annual scholarships to the University of South Carolina Beaufort and two $1,500 annual scholarships to the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
Since 1987, the Heritage Classic Foundation has raised and donated $61.8 million to educational and charitable initiatives that lift lives in South Carolina. Every year, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization hosts a world-class PGA TOUR event as a primary fundraising effort.
For more information, call 843-671-2448, visit heritageclassicfoundation.com, or find us on Facebook (Heritage Classic Foundation) and Twitter (@HCFGolf).