Scholarships for local high school seniors open for applications

By RUBEN LOWMAN

The South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is now accepting applications for its 26th annual Ride of Your Life Scholarship program, which awards $300,000 in college scholarships to high school seniors across South Carolina each year.

Applications will be open until March 15, 2023, and can be completed at scstatefair.org/scholarships.

“Our mission at the South Carolina State Fair is to support the best of our state, and that starts with educating our young adults and helping them better their futures,” says S.C. State Fair General Manager Nancy Smith.

“Supporting education is a big part of what we do, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to giving back and creating opportunities for our state’s students.”

Since 1997, the S.C. State Fair has awarded more than $4 million to South Carolina students through the Ride of Your Life Scholarship program.

The scholarship program is an example of one of many community initiatives the S.C. State Fair supports throughout the year.

“Growing up with dreams and aspirations of my own — I always dreamed of going to college, escaping my hometown, furthering my education,” says Sheridan Carpenter, Ride of Your Life Scholar.

“With the Ride of Your Life Scholarship, I am able to do that. It gives opportunities to children who may not have been able to go on and do the things they’ve always dreamed of.”

This year, scholarships in the amount of $6,000 will be awarded to 50 high school seniors across South Carolina and will be paid out at $1,500 per year over four years. Students pursuing two-year degrees will receive $1,500 per year over two years.

The scholarship funds must be used at a South Carolina university, college or institution and may cover tuition or other educational expenses such as on-campus housing, a computer or textbooks. Scholarships are awarded based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, need and completeness of the application. Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year to receive funding for that year.

Prospective scholars and/or parents can learn more at scstatefair.org/scholarships or by contacting Betsy Cooper at betsyc@scstatefair.org or 803-799-3387, Ext. 110.
Scholarship applications must be completed online at https://www.scstatefair.org/scholarships/ by March 15, 2023. Scholarship award recipients will be notified in mid-May of their award status.

This year’s S.C. State Fair will take place Oct. 11-22, 2023.