The Golden LEAF Foundation announced that 215 rural North Carolina students were selected to receive up to a $14,000 Golden LEAF Scholarship. The awards include two students from Jones County, seven from Lenoir County, and three from Greene County.

High school seniors entering college as first-year students are eligible for a $3,500 scholarship each year for up to four years of undergraduate study at a participating four-year North Carolina college or university. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,500 a year for up to three years of undergraduate study.

Recipients from rural or economically distressed North Carolina counties are selected based on future career goals and an expressed intent to contribute to the stateʼs rural communities upon graduation from college.

“We are proud to award scholarships to hardworking and bright students with deep roots in their rural communities,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF Foundation President, Chief Executive Officer. “These students were selected out of a pool of more than 1,700 applicants. We look forward to the future success of these scholarship recipients as they follow their education pursuits and develop into North Carolina's next generation of rural leaders.”

Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay interns $15/hour for up to 400 hours of work. Internships take place over 8-10 weeks, between June and August.

Representatives from the counties celebrated the achievements of their students. “In rural communities like Bladen, Duplin, Jones, Lenoir, Sampson, and Greene counties, having a workforce that is ready and able to take on the challenges of tomorrow is invaluable," said Senator Brent Jackson. Senator Jim Perry and Senator Buck Newton also offered their congratulations to the recipients from their respective counties.

“I'm excited to hear that we have students from Jones, Lenoir, and Greene counties receiving the Golden LEAF Scholarship,” said Representative Chris Humphrey. “This is a tremendous honor. We will all benefit from the knowledge and skills these students will bring back to rural North Carolina communities.”

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina's funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina's rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.

For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at www.goldenleaf.org. The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) administers the program on behalf of the Golden LEAF Foundation.