Beaufort High senior wins first $5K scholarship from SC Student Loan Corporation
When Beaufort High School senior Virginia O’Kelley heard her name over the intercom, she froze in the middle of her afternoon class.
She’s the kind of student teachers don’t usually pull from lessons – quiet, diligent, never one to cause trouble. So when she was told to report to the principal’s office, her heart began to race.
But as she turned the corner into Principal Ryan Walsh’s office, confusion quickly melted into relief – then pure joy and giggles. There, waiting for her, were balloons, a giant $5,000 check and her family – mom English, dad Arthur, and younger sister Caroline — grinning from ear to ear.
“Congratulations!” everyone shouted as Virginia tried to make sense of what was happening.
“What is this?” she asked, eyes wide, before realizing she’d just been named the winner of the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation’s newly revamped $5,000 random scholarship giveaway.
A moment months in the making
Virginia entered the drawing months earlier, not thinking much of it. She learned about the opportunity from an email sent by David Favata, Beaufort High’s director of school counseling.
The SCSLC scholarship program is open to any South Carolina high school junior or senior, college student of any age, or parent of a college-aged student.
This year, the organization expanded the quarterly prize from its former $1,000 amount to a single $5,000 award, the largest in the program’s recent history.
Four winners are chosen each year, completely at random. The SCSLC uses an Excel generator that eliminates duplicate entries and pulls one name from the many applicants across the state.
This fall, that lucky name belonged to Virginia O’Kelley, the first student to win the increased award amount.
Representatives Destra Capers, SCSLC’s director of marketing and outreach, and Jennifer Van Cleave, outreach manager, traveled from Columbia to Beaufort High on a drizzly Wednesday to deliver the news in person.
The surprise, coordinated secretly with Virginia’s parents and school administrators, was planned and rearranged down to the exact minute she pushed open the door.
Dreams of medicine and Clemson orange
For Virginia, this scholarship helps push her one step closer to her future dreams of studying biology and eventually pursuing a career in the medical field.
She’s currently considering both Clemson University and the University of South Carolina – fitting choices, since both her parents are proud Clemson alumni, where she’s got her biggest hopes set.
When asked why she chose to apply to the scholarship, she said “she just wanted to try” and that it felt right to start “planning early,” staying in line with her organized personality.
How the scholarship works
The SCSLC’s scholarship funds are sent directly to the student’s chosen college or university, applied to tuition, fees, or other educational expenses.
If a student earns enough scholarships to cover all their costs, any remaining funds may be refunded by the school to help cover books, housing, or other indirect expenses.
Winners are ineligible to win again in the same academic year but can re-enter once the new year begins.
Three awards are left to be won this year, with the next $5,000 award to be announced in December. Students from anywhere in South Carolina are eligible to apply and win.
The SCSLC is a non-profit organization that strives to provide programs of financial assistance, education and resources for higher education loans, ranging from undergrad to doctoral levels. The organization helps students understand how to borrow money for higher education and shares scholarship opportunities and awards to help cover education costs.
“This made our day … and hers too,” her mom said.
And with that, the quiet student who never gets called to the principal’s office walked back to class – not in trouble, but as Beaufort High’s and South Carolina’s newest scholarship winner.
