SC State Honors College students receive scholarships in Pay it Forward competition

Four freshmen from South Carolina State University’s Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College have each earned a $1,000 scholarship in the Pay it Forward competition sponsored by the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.

SC State students Rejoice Anaele, Princess Tisdale, Jadon Reed and Cleotilde Perdew won for their proposal to create a rural entrepreneurship and education pipeline in Orangeburg, St. Matthews and Ehrhardt, South Carolina.

“The students who were a part of this team — to be just freshmen, they were all energized, they were excited, they couldn’t wait to launch the project and they’ve been a joy to work with,” said Dr. Harriet Roland, Dean of the Emily England Clyburn Honors College.

“Everybody’s prompt, punctual, they’re responsible and accountable. Never once did I have to go back and say, you all haven’t done this yet’. Everything just fell into place— no problems with them.”

Roland, who advised the winning students on their project, also received $1,000 for her work.

“I think this was a really great opportunity. This is a win-win scenario,” Anaele said. First off, you’re getting money, which helps with financial aid and other endeavors. Also, the experience—the whole aspect is really understanding the rural communities that we’re a part of.

“Being in a rural community, it’s best to understand the challenges that your community is going through so you can strive to be the solution towards it, in whatever you plan to do,” she said.

Pay it Forward is an academic competition for honors college students at SC State, Clemson University, and the University of South Carolina (USC). The competition challenges students to search for solutions to social and economic problems in the state’s rural areas.

The four SC State students will now compete with winning teams from the honors colleges at Clemson and USC for a grand prize of $5,000, which will be announced by March 8.

“The presentation of these scholarships continues to show that our Honors College students are indeed the best and brightest in the state,” said SC State President Alexander Conyers. “So, this opportunity for them expands further than just the campus.

“They’re competing with students statewide, and it tells me that our students, when given an opportunity, can compete at the highest levels and win,” he said.