Area students awarded $20K Heller scholarships

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman University has awarded $20,000 scholarships to two area students for the 2014-15 academic year.

Established in fall 2012, the Heller Community Scholarship scholarship is available yearly to one student at each of the 18 Greenville County high schools. The goal of the scholarship is to encourage talented local students to remain in the area and strengthen their commitment to the Upstate.

The scholarships are awarded based on the recommendation of the student’s high school administration, commitment to attending Furman, and evidence of admissibility to Furman’s undergraduate program. The scholarships are renewable for four years provided the student remains in good academic standing with the university.

This year, students from 12 of the 18 Greenville County high schools showed intent to attend Furman. Recipients for 2014-15 include students from a total of nine public high schools, two charter schools and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Area recipients are:

• Shelby Elizabeth Wilkins (Travelers Rest High School): Wilkins played trumpet in the Travelers Rest High School marching band. She looks ahead to studying English this fall at Furman. Wilkins is the daughter of Jeffrey Wilkins, of Startex, and Tammy Burnett, of Greenville.

• Ebony Raegeme Hawkins (Blue Ridge High School): At Blue Ridge High School, Hawkins has invested her time in community service. She plans to study business administration at Furman University this fall. Hawkins is the daughter of Tarsha Edwards, of Taylors.

The Heller Community Scholarship is named in honor of the late Max Heller, former mayor of Greenville and Furman trustee who was well known for his work in the Greenville community and whose life was a monument to leadership, education, mentorship and a passion for learning.