BCCC congratulates spring scholarship recipients 

Published 2:34 pm Tuesday, February 28, 2023

The Beaufort County Community College Foundation is proud to announce the following scholarship recipients for the Spring 2023 semester. Registration is now open for the Summer 2023 semester. The Beaufort Promise does not cover summer semesters, but qualified students can access financial aid. The Beaufort Promise Scholarship will continue for qualified students from Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, but private scholarships such as the ones listed below can help cover textbooks. Other recipients will be announced throughout the spring.

Ashley Bell, 21, received the Clarence & Mildred Howell and the Harold & Louise Lane Scholarships. Bell is a Windsor resident who is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing. She attended Beaufort County Early College High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management. She plans to be a geriatric nurse.

Clarence Hollowell, Jr. created this endowment to honor and memorialize his parents, Clarence and Mildred Hollowell. Mr. Hollowell, who died in 1979, was a native of Belhaven and a career Coast Guardsman. He and his wife, Mildred, raised six children in Belhaven. The scholarship assists BCCC nursing students who live in or near Belhaven.

Established in 1998 in memory of Harold Alton Lane, Jr., and in honor of Constance Lane Howard, by their parents Harold Lane, Sr. and his wife Louise, this endowment provides annual scholarships to one or more students in the nursing and or an associate degree program.

Nicole Blackwell, 44, received the Cypress Landing Scholarship. Blackwell is a Beaufort resident and a criminal justice technology student. She is a mother of one. Blackwell attended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. High School in New York City and holds a Substitute Teacher Certificate. She volunteers with the Richard Lee Moore Foundation. Blackwell works as a senior control room operator at Craven Community College. She is a first-generation college student and plans to get a degree to obtain a supervisory position.

In 2007 the homeowners in the Cypress Landing subdivision created this first-of-its-kind endowment at BCCC. Mrs. Helen Sommerkamp and Mr. Chris Harris organized a campaign to meet the initial goal. This scholarship is awarded to a Beaufort County BCCC student who demonstrates need.

Donald Dawson, 46, received the BCCC Staff Association Scholarship. Dawson is a Washington resident who is a business administration student with a concentration in marketing. Dawson is the husband of Irasema Silva. He attended LeFollette High School and holds a Small Business Certificate and a Community Health Worker Certificate. He volunteers at Ignite Church of Chocowinity. Dawson works as a community employment specialist at Martin Enterprises and plans to run his own marketing business.

To receive the BCCC Staff Association Scholarship, students must be enrolled in a technical, vocational or college transfer program, a resident in the state of North Carolina, a full-time student and have completed 12 semester credit hours toward their degree. A student needs to have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and have excellence in their academic performance.

Lora Dozier, 33, received the Cypress Landing and the Louise P. Kidwell Scholarships. Dozier is a Washington resident working toward an Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration. She attended Terra Ceia Christian School. Dozier currently works at Carolina Mat, Inc. and plans to obtain both a Bachelor in Business Administration and Master in Business Administration. She is the partner of Colton Taylor and the daughter of Michael and Lori Dozier. She has three dogs.

In 2007 the homeowners in the Cypress Landing subdivision created this first-of-its-kind endowment at BCCC. Mrs. Helen Sommerkamp and Mr. Chris Harris organized a campaign to meet the initial goal. This scholarship is awarded to a Beaufort County BCCC student who demonstrates need.

Louise Proctor Kidwell’s children, Ronald, Mark, Proctor, Mary Lou, and Keith started this endowment in 2008 to memorialize their mother’s accomplishments. She worked as an accountant in NYC for 17 years before joining H&R Block. In 1976 she passed the IRS Enrolled Agent exam and in 1979 purchased the Washington H&R Block franchise and opened LPK Accounting Service. Kidwell was a role model for women in the business world and continues to be so through this perpetual scholarship for BCCC business or accounting students.

Midajay Keyes, 21, received the Cypress Landing Scholarship. Keyes is a Washington resident and a part of the business administration program. She is the daughter of Lacey and Elizabeth Keyes of Washington. Keyes was homeschooled, currently works at Dollar Tree as a cashier, and plans to be a business owner.

In 2007 the homeowners in the Cypress Landing subdivision created this first-of-its-kind endowment at BCCC. Mrs. Helen Sommerkamp and Mr. Chris Harris organized a campaign to meet the initial goal. This scholarship is awarded to a Beaufort County BCCC student who demonstrates need.

Annie Mendoza Valencia received the Clarence & Mildred Howell Scholarship. Mendoza is a Washington resident who plans to be a nurse. She is a first-generation college student and a mother of one.

Clarence Hollowell, Jr. created this endowment to honor and memorialize his parents, Clarence and Mildred Hollowell. Mr. Hollowell, who died in 1979, was a native of Belhaven and a career Coast Guardsman. He and his wife, Mildred, raised six children in Belhaven. The scholarship assists BCCC nursing students who live in or near Belhaven.

Rylee Midyette, 20, received the Art & Alice Keeney Scholarship. Midyette is a Hyde County resident and nursing student. She works as a server at Martelle’s Feedhouse and Sugar Creek Seafood. Midyette attended the North Carolina Cyber Academy and plans to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in order to work in an emergency department. She is the daughter of Jenna and Daniel Brinn.

In honor of Art Keeney’s retirement in June of 2009, as CEO of East Carolina Bank (ECB), which is based in Engelhard, NC, the ECB board of directors established this endowment to recognize both Art and his wife Alice for their tremendous accomplishments at the bank, in the Hyde County community, and throughout the ECB service area. First preference for these scholarships goes to students residing in Hyde County, who have a GPA of 2.5 or better, and demonstrate need.

Daneisha Whitley, 21, received the Coca Cola Scholarship. Whitley is a Chocowinity resident who attended Beaufort County Early College High School. She currently works with Walmart as a customer service associate and plans to continue her education to find a good job.

Established in 2010 with a generous gift from the Coca Cola Foundation and Coca Cola Bottling Plant in Washington, NC, this endowment provides a scholarship for a BCCC student with at least a 2.5 GPA and receiving no other financial aid. Thanks to this donation, the Cocoa Cola Bottling Plant will model good corporate citizenship in perpetuity.