Two area students were recently chosen to receive the State Employees’ Credit Union Scholarship to attend Beaufort County Community College this year. Selected were two residents of Bath, Katrina Spencer and William Robert “Robbie” Edwards III.
Spencer was born and raised in Beaufort County and is the daughter of Linvert and Gloria Spencer of Bath. She has two sons ages 9 and 16. She is a graduate of Northside High School.
While in High School, Spencer began working as a cashier at Walmart. She moved on to become a teller at First South Bank and lastly a Customer Service Supervisor at ResCare, a mental health service provider for adults and children. When the ResCare office closed due to state budget cuts, Spencer saw it as the perfect opportunity to move her education off the back burner and go back to school.
When asked about her decision to return to school Spencer said, “I'm loving it! “
Edwards graduated with honors in 2011 from Northside High School. Upon graduating, he received the President's award for outstanding academic excellence. While at Northside, he participated in cross country running and was a member of the Beta Club and FFA. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in 2009. Edwards is enrolled in the College Transfer program at Beaufort County Community College. He is the son of Bill and Cindy Edwards.
The scholarships for the BCCC students are two of 116 two-year scholarships – two for each of the 58 community colleges statewide – given by the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation each year.
The SECU Foundation is the charitable, non-profit arm of the State Employees’ Credit Union established to identify and address community issues that are beyond the normal scope of SECU itself. Its mission is to promote local community development primarily through projects in the areas of education, health and human services. The Foundation’s motto is “people helping people.”
Foundation projects are initiated through local SECU branch advisory boards and approved by the Foundation Board.
Money to fund the scholarships comes from credit union members. The SECU has agreed to temporarily assign $1.00 of the per month maintenance fee that all members pay on their checking accounts to the foundation.
“The SECU Foundation wants to support projects that help people and this is the perfect choice for our organization,” said Tom King, chairman of the SECU Foundation Board. King is a former member of the State Board of Community Colleges. The SECU Foundation wants “to help students who fall between the cracks – those who need help to finish school but aren’t eligible for other programs.”
Wesley Jones, Vice President and City Executive for Washington’s branch of the State Employee Credit Union, pictured at left, and Kimberly Jackson, SECU board member, pictured at right, congratulate Katrina Spencer and William Robert Edwards III for receiving the SECU Foundation scholarships awarded to Beaufort County Community College students this year.
