Three recent high school graduates will have scholarships to assist them as they make the transition to their respective universities, all thanks to the Sampson County Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Council, which made the awards.
Amirah Faircloth, Aleeyah Richardson, and Nia Carr were all gifted $500 scholarships from the council.
“On behalf of the Sampson County HBCU Council, we are very proud of the accomplishments these three young scholars have achieved so far,” said Dr. Linda Brunson, scholarship chairwoman for the council. “We wish them continued success as they pursue their post-secondary dreams. The council is pleased to provide some additional funding to assist them.”
Faircloth
A former Dark Horse, Faircloth graduated from Clinton High and will attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) in the fall. She plans to major in elementary education and hopes to land a job within the Clinton City Schools system when she completes her degree.
“I have a lot of family members that are in the school system; they played a huge part in me wanting to become an elementary teacher,” Faircloth explained. “Growing up with younger cousins as well, I was the babysitter of the family, because I just gravitated more towards the kids. I would also say my teachers and my mentors that I’ve learned under, I just fell in love with it the same way they did.”
Teaching the younger kids was something that felt special to Faircloth.
“Just being able to be have an impact on their lives,” she said. “My focus is on working with kindergarteners. They’re so young, so you’re able to impact how they view the world and how they learn and just start in their process of going into school.”
The choice of where she was going to attend college was never in doubt.
“NC A&T was always my number one school,” Faircloth emphasized. “I did research and learned more about their education program and the scholarships they offered and how hands-on they are. They don’t just throw you out there into the world after you graduate. They put you in the classroom starting your freshman year, so that way you have the experience before you go out into the real world, as they say, to pursue that career.”
During her four years at Clinton, Faircloth was very involved in extracurriculars. She was a clarinet player in the marching band, a varsity cheerleader, a Dark Horse Fellows member, as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Early on, she learned that she needed to find a way to balance all of her roles.
“With cheer and marching band, I would be on two different schedules, along with working,” Faircloth explained. “For football season, I would cheer at the home games, and then I would perform at halftime with the band while in my cheer uniform. Then once basketball started, the games weren’t just on Fridayss and the marching band doesn’t participate in the games. That made it easier, because we only had competitions on Saturday; we didn’t have games unless we went to state.”
As she moves toward college life as an Aggie, Faircloth felt that she wanted to move away from cheerleading and marching band.
“I want to do more in regards to the organizations on campus and clubs, she said. “Not just cheer and marching band, even though it’s two different things and levels; I’ve already somewhat experienced that part of school.”
One of the organizations she’s been interested in is Student Government Association (SGA).
“I didn’t hold a position (in high school), because I already had a lot going on,” she explained. “I didn’t want to pick up anything else that I couldn’t fully commit to. But I love how it gives the students a voice. I feel like the students should have more of a voice whenever it comes to academics and what’s going on outside of classes. Because we’re the ones that are going through it, and we’re the ones that have to follow the rules. It also helps the administration and everyone else know that “hey, I have students who are seeing something that maybe I’m not seeing.”
She said she was appreciative of the HBCU scholarship she was awarded.
Richardson
A Union High School graduate, Richardson will attend North Carolina Central University, where she plans to major in business. In high school, Richardson was in the top 10 percent of her graduating class with a GPA of 4.265. She also was a part of the College Career and Promise program at Sampson Community College and a member of her school’s Beta Club, CTE Honor Society and made the SCC Principal’s List.
“My counselor, Mrs. Chavez (Raven), thought that it would be a great opportunity for me to get some scholarship money, so I had applied for it,” Richardson recalled about her application. “I really didn’t expect to get it because I knew that there was a lot of competition. Some people actively do more things than I have, but I was very excited when they told me I got it.”
When it was time to apply for colleges, Richardson felt that Central was perfect for both her demographic and her major.
“I wanted to be with more of my people,” she emphasized. “I would be able to be around people that understand who I am and understand my culture. It wouldn’t be hard to fit in. I also felt that it would be a great opportunity because I wanted to major in a good business program. That’s why I chose Central.”
Her goal once she graduates college is to open a business that can operate in different ways.
“It wouldn’t just be one business,” Richardson said. ” I would do hair care, cosmetology, nails, waxing, and all types of different things. Part of the reason as to why I want to own my own business is because I want to give back to the community. Beta Club taught me a lot about how to give back. When I needed service credit hours, I would go to a rest home and help out there, and it made me feel good.”
Richardson was a student-athlete, playing basketball all four years at Union, while being a cheerleader for two of those years. Now moving on to Central, Richardson feels that she’s ready for a break from the game she grew up playing as a kid.
“I would probably (pursue it) in my sophomore year, but not my freshman year,” she expressed.
Over the course of her time at Union, one of her favorite memories was when she was voted Homecoming Queen.
“Mrs. Felicia Henry (Union High teacher) encouraged me to go for it, because I was kind of nervous,” Richardson explained. “I’ve got anxiety, so I’m scared to talk to new people. She told me that if I wanted to win this, I had to go talk to people, so that’s what I did. She was also helpful in class as well. When I didn’t understand something, she made me comfortable enough to talk to her and tell her that I didn’t understand in front of the whole class.”
Carr
Like Faircloth, Carr is also a Clinton High graduate who will be attending NC A&T this fall. Her plan is to major in theater, something she’s been doing since she was a child.
“A&T was my dream school since I was in eighth grade,” Carr said. “I don’t really remember why, but when I got in, it was kind of a full circle moment. I had my eyes on other schools, but they still got drawn back to A&T. It made me realize that this is where I was meant to be, like this is where God is putting me.”
A big factor that went into Carr’s decision to attend NC A&T is how the theater program is constructed.
“I love that you go through their program for your freshman and sophomore year, and then you audition to be in their theater program,” she explained. “So it’s like they give you all of the materials that you need before you actually declare your major.”
When she found out she was being awarded the scholarship, she was excited about the support it would provide.
“It felt amazing,” she expressed. “I always knew that I wanted to attend an HBCU, so this is definitely a scholarship that I knew from maybe freshman year that I wanted to go for. Being able to get it was huge.”
Carr was very involved with her community outside of school. She’s worked with the Sampson County Multi-Cultural Committee as well as the Community Uplift Project, spearheaded by Stephaine Graham. As she heads off to become an Aggie, Carr said she was very thankful for every scholarship committee in Sampson County. Once she gets her degree, she plans to come back home to Sampson County and continue to help “make my community great.”