From staff reports
The Rotary Club of Beaufort presented $1,000 Lt. Gen. George I. Forsythe Rotary Scholarships to six area high school graduates on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
The Lt. Gen. George I. Forsythe Rotary Scholarship is presented annually to graduating seniors from Beaufort County high schools north of the Broad River in memory of Forsythe. This year’s winners were:
Nick Abrams, Beaufort Academy
Accolades: Sixth in his class; VP of INTERACT Club; National Honor Society; Respect Award; Integrity Award.
A cancer survivor, Abrams shadowed a local doctor on the job. He will be attending Wofford College to study biomedical engineering.
Anjali Barigala, Beaufort High School
Accolades: Third in her class; completed 16 AP courses; Class President all four years; National Honor Society; Spanish National Honor Society; DAYLO; Key Club; Chorus; AFJROTC; played soccer and lacrosse; GoSciTech at Governor’s School; Girls State; AP Scholar and AP Capstone Diploma.
Barigala will attend Georgia Tech to study Biomedical Engineering in prep for medical school.
Arden Luikey, Beaufort High School
Accolades: Second in his class; completed 19 AP courses; AP Scholar with Distinction; AP Capstone Diploma; Senior Class President; National Honor Society; DAYLO; CREATE Club; INTERACT; Adopt a Stream; played lacrosse; Girls State; National Rural and Small Town Recognition; Civil Engineering Summer Camp.
Luikey will attend Georgia Tech to study Civil Engineering.
Maiya Carter, Whale Branch Early College High School
Accolades: Third in her class; Ambassador, Ladies First, HOSA, Student Advisory Council; National Honor Society; Dual Enrollment; BMH Rising Star; AHEC Scholar.
Carter will attend the University of South Carolina in Columbia to study Nursing.
Freddie Lawton, Whale Branch Early College High School
Accolades: Seventh in his class; National Honor Society; Dual Enrollment; Skills USA President; Governor’s School for the Arts; Portrayed Robert Smalls in Reconstruction Era Film; Competed in wrestling, swimming, baseball, soccer, cross country; School Marching Band First Clarinet; County Honor Band.
Lawton will attend Clemson University to study Architectural Engineering, minor in drama.
Elise Marquardt, Holy Trinity Classical Christian School
Accolades: 1370 SAT; 30 ACT; National Honor Arts Society; One Act Drama; Math Honor Society; Class Representative; Church Youth Group.
Marquardt will attend the University of Florida Honors Program to study Actuarial Science.
About Forsythe
Forsythe moved to Beaufort in 1972 after a distinguished 33-year career in the U.S. Army. He lived the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” He was an active member of the Beaufort Rotary Club, serving in many key leadership positions and was involved in many local business development initiatives and held important leadership positions in his church and in the community. Following his death in 1987, the Rotary Club of Beaufort moved to honor his legacy of service with this scholarship.
