From staff reports
Five north of the Broad River students are among the 11 outstanding Beaufort and Jasper County seniors named Heritage Classic Foundation scholars for the 2023-2024 school year.
Altogether, the students come from five different high schools, including the first time a student from a Jasper County Public School has been honored.
Battery Creek’s Zoe Way and Noah Henry, Annabelle Nelson, Nathan Tran, and James Guerin Willis of Beaufort High were the north of the Broad selections.
Lamika Walker of Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence is the first Heritage Classic Foundation scholar ever from Jasper County.
Bluffton’s Aiden Harvey and Jhasly Berra, Anthony Bynum, Susana Mogil, and Evelyn Prokes of Hilton Head Island High School rounded out the scholar selections.
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. Thirteen finalists were interviewed by the Scholar Committee, the two not selected were awarded a one-time $2,500 grant.
During Monday’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 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 will be granted every year moving forward.
Next fall, a total of 43 Beaufort and Jasper County collegians will be attending school and will have received Foundation grants at an expenditure of $200,000. A grand total of $5.4 million will have been awarded to 386 students after the 2024 distribution.
In addition to these eleven 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.
At the heart of the Heritage Classic Foundation is a history of philanthropic giving that goes far beyond golf. Since 1987, the foundation has raised and donated $52.9 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.
About the 2024 Scholars
– Jhasly Berra is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Candidate at Hilton Head Island High and she has also received the South Carolina Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. She is president of her school’s chapter of the National French Honor Society and secretary of the National Honor Society where she dedicates time mentoring elementary school students in math and English. She is a first generation Latina who aims to promote diversity and inclusivity in the STEM community by studying biomedical engineering.
– Anthony Bynum (Tartan Club Award) wants to improve the diversity of students in middle school advanced classes, so he started NextGen Tutoring. Twice a week, Hilton Head Island High Schoolers tutor elementary school students before school with the goal of improving math and reading skills. He is a member of the varsity basketball and football teams and is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He logs more than 200 volunteer hours yearly, including being a Pockets Full of Sunshine buddy. He plans to pursue a career in aerospace.
– Aiden Harvey has been a member of the Bluffton High Band since freshman year and earned the title Band Captain and Drum Major in his senior year. Through the band’s honor society, he volunteers his time sharing music in the community. He is also president of the school’s Robotics Club and helps run competitions for middle and elementary school students. He plans to study music education and become a music teacher.
– Noah Henry helped design and build Beaufort High’s first garden beds as a member of the Garden Club. In addition to those flourishing gardens, he focuses much of his time volunteering with the Interact Club and National Honor Society. He has logged more than 100 hours as an Interact Club volunteer and has spent time with retirees as an NHS member. Protecting the environment is important to him and he has participated in beach sweeps, Adopt-a-Highways and church clean-ups. He plans to use his talent for mathematics to study aerospace engineering.
– Susana Mogil (Mike Malanick Award) earned the 2023 NJROTC Distinguished Cadet award at Hilton Head Island High. She is the Color Guard Commander and a member of the Academics and Orienteering teams. She is also an International Baccalaureate Programme Candidate and a member of the Seahawk Stage Company. Her time working at a day camp fueled her desire to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. She was raised speaking Spanish and volunteers as a bilingual tutor at the Neighborhood Outreach Center and is also an assistant teacher at her synagogue’s religious school.
– Annabelle Nelson is involved in both academic and social organizations at Beaufort High including the CREATE Club, where she helps fellow students understand the importance of practicing sustainability and conservation. She also defends banned literature as a member of the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization. She a member of Voices, a select group of Beaufort High choir members and plays the violin in the orchestra. She plans to study business administration with the goal of establishing a nonprofit dedicated to the growth and education of children.
– Evelyn Prokes moved from Indiana just in time to begin her senior year at Hilton Head Island High. She became a member of the Science National Honor Society, Book Club and Rainbow Alliance. At her former high school, she was Head of Costumes and received a varsity letter in theatre. For two years, she led support groups for grieving children and she was a coordinator for Sea Pines Country Club’s Deep Well Project Santa Shop toy drive. She has been fascinated by genetics since 5th grade and by 10th grade she knew she wanted to pursue it as a career.
– Nathan Tran (John Zimmerman Award) is a National Merit Semifinalist and is ranked No. 1 in his class at Beaufort High School. He not only captains his school’s VEX Robotics Team, he also runs an online community made up of 40 VEX teams around the world. In addition, he works with younger students to encourage their interest in robotics. Since 2015, he has volunteered with Friends of Hunting Island Sea Turtle Conservation to identify sea turtle crawls and nests, but his true passion is robotics and his goal is to become a robotics engineer.
– Lamika Walker (Ward Kirby Award) attends the Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence and is also completing the Law Enforcement program at the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence. That program has inspired her to pursue a career in Forensic Psychology. She is the reigning Miss Ridgeland Secondary Academy of Excellence and has been class president since her sophomore year. She is a student athletic trainer and is also a member of her school’s cheerleading, volleyball and soccer teams. She was chosen to speak at the Garden of Light Committee’s youth scholarship banquet honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. She believes everyone should be their own role model.
– Zoe Way is Senior Class President and has always been active in Student Council at Battery Creek High School. She is ranked No. 1 in her class, is President of the National Honor Society and is active in the Interact Club. She founded a program focused on engaging students with politics and hosts an event to connect students with community members. She studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and credits the classes with giving her confidence and self-discipline. She volunteers at her church and mentors students. It is her way to “pay forward what can never be paid back”.
– James Guerin Willis (Charlie Brown Award) is the captain of both the basketball and soccer team at Beaufort High. The soccer team will be defending their lower state championship this season. He prioritizes community service by tutoring students in chemistry before and after school. He is active in his school’s National Honor Society Chapter and created a social media channel to boost visibility among students and to increase community service across the school. He plans to study Economics.
