From staff reports
Battery Creek High School’s Emma Hamilton was the among the 11 outstanding Beaufort County seniors named Heritage Classic Foundation scholars on Tuesday, March 18, for the 2024-2025 school year.
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.
Accordng to her bio, Hamilton has competed on the tennis and wrestling teams at Battery Creek and has participated in monthly Campus Clean-ups with the Interact Club. She has had a part-time job throughout high school and has a passion for sports medicine — she works for the school athletic trainer and plans to pursue a career in the field.
Other winners included Bluffton High School’s Genesis Hernandez Cabrera, Ava Elizabeth Rios and Vivian Zurakowski; Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Christopher Nguyen; Hilton Head Island High School’s Bryce Broome, Calvin Clayton, Mia Diamond, Emeli Perez and Mia Ruxton; and May River High School’s James Holloman.
During Tuesday’s awards presentation, Heritage Classic Foundation Scholar Committee Chairman, Scott Richardson told the audience, “This is always an exciting day for the Heritage Classic Foundation. We believe the resumes of these young adults are better than ever. The teachers and administrators of our school systems, as well as the award winners, deserve special praise.” Richardson also pointed out, “You are not just straight A students. You are leaders in your schools, communities and churches. Your interests vary from volunteerism to sports to caring for the environment.”
Six of the newly named Scholars – including Hamilton — will receive a $16,000 scholarship over the next four years. Four additional awards carry a $20,000 opportunity.
Next fall, a total of 41 Beaufort and Jasper County collegians will be attending school and will have received Foundation grants at an expenditure of $193,000. A grand total of $5.6 million will have been awarded to 397 students after the 2025 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.
It was also announced at Tuesday’s luncheon that two large donations were granted to the newly created Heritage Classic Foundation Scholarship Endowment Fund. The RBC Foundation donated $25,000 to the fund and the Sea Pines Resort Community Fund donated proceeds totaling $25,000 from their inaugural Charity Golf Tournament held March 2. The endowment fund was created to strengthen the future of the Heritage Scholar Program. Learn more at heritageclassicfoundation.com/heritage-endowment.
Since 1987, the Heritage Classic Foundation has raised and donated $56.9 million to educational and charitable initiatives in South Carolina. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization hosts its world-class PGA Tour event, the RBC Heritage, as a primary fundraising effort.
