Clinton resident and long-time educator Michael Mozingo recently announced the recipients of the 24th Edith Bradshaw Scholarship established in memory of his late mother, who died in 2001.
Scholarships were presented to two high school seniors during services at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Clinton on Mother’s Day, May 10
Dylan Zuniga received a $2,500 scholarship and Katherine Solis-Diaz received a $500 Community Service Award.
Zuniga is a senior at Clinton High School and the son of Jose Zuniga and Karla Diaz. He attends Immaculate Conception in Clinton and will pursue his education at Wofford College in South Carolina, majoring in accounting and finance.
Katherine is a senior at Wayne Early Middle College High School and attends St. Mary of the Angels in Mount Olive. Her parents are Gregorio Solis-Vega and Maria Diaz, and she will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall, majoring in pre-med.
Mozingo said he was in his early 40s when his mother died and her passing “changed me completely.”
The professed president of the “Mama’s Boys Club” said her death just four days after Christmas absolutely devastated him.
“As I moved through my grief, I had to find a way to cope, so I decided to share her great legacy of love through a scholarship,” Mozingo noted about his decision to begin the memorial back in 2003.
The scholarship is available to graduating seniors at the three area Catholic churches: Immaculate Conception in Clinton, St. Mary of the Angels in Mount Olive and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Newton Grove.
He presents it each year on Mother’s Day for obvious reasons.
“I make it clear the morning I present it that the scholarship is not just for my mother, though, but for all mothers, and those mother figures who have given us hope, life and resilience,” Mozingo pointed out.
During his May 10 presentation to the 2026 recipients, Mozingo told those gathered that the scholarships are his thank you.
“The sweetness and joy of my life has been made so much richer by a loving and kind mother,” he began, then sharing some of what he called “the lessons” his mother taught him growing up.
“A bad childhood is never an excuse to be a miserable or unproductive human being,” he stressed, also naming faith, a mother’s love and an education as the three things that have remained a constant in his life, keeping him grounded.
“The greatest gift I have given to my community is the Edith Bradshaw Scholarship … it remains an opportunity to honor the woman who taught me all I know about being a decent and kind human being.”
After 24 years, Mozingo has awarded over $30,000 to high school seniors through the scholarship honoring his mother.
“It remains one of the greatest achievements of my 67 years,” he attested.