Chapin Woman’s Club awards $20,000 in college scholarships to Chapin area students

Recent graduates of Chapin High School and Spring Hill High School were honored for their hard work and academic achievements when they received college scholarships from the Chapin Woman’s Club. The 2024 recipients are Brooke Arnold, Reagan Ashmore, Emerson Cannon, Rhea Bundrick, Destany Doby and Carrington Golson.

The Chapin Woman’s Club used a comprehensive process to decide which young women would receive the scholarships. A total of $20,000 was awarded to the new graduates, as well as past scholarship recipients who are currently pursuing their degrees at a South Carolina institution of higher education. Factors such as GPA, SAT scores, FAFSA, and recommendations from high school counselors and teachers were considered when the CWC determined who would receive the financial aid.

The process began in January, when the Chapin Woman’s Club contacted high school counselors about the program and asked for recommendations on who would most benefit from their support. Applications were sent out in February, and the girls submitted the necessary paperwork to the club after applying for federal student aid. In March, the CWC met with all of the high school seniors in a large group and conducted individual interviews in April. Finally, the club met as a committee to decide which high school seniors would receive the scholarships, and their names were announced at the schools’ awards ceremonies, where they received honorary certificates.

In addition, the graduates were invited to a pizza and pool party hosted by the Chapin Woman’s Club in recognition of their achievements. The celebration gave them the opportunity to network, meet former scholarship recipients, and meet their new mentor, a CWC member. The women in the club are honored to mentor these graduates.

Shannon Allonier, co-chair of the CWC scholarship committee, praised the efforts of these young women. “I’m a retired middle school teacher and when I first started mentoring, I actually mentored some former students. There was one young lady who became a registered nurse at USC. I just love her! I was her mentor for four years. I love these girls; they keep me young.”

It is an important task for the club members to encourage and support their mentees, as they believe that they can serve as positive role models for the girls on their new path to higher education.

For more information about the Chapin Woman’s Club, visit chapinwomansclub.org. Community members who wish to donate to future graduates can do so by making a donation to the club and specifying that the donation be used for the scholarship fund.