The Outer Banks Community Foundation recently announced it has awarded over $241,800 in scholarships to local students for the 2024–2025 academic year. This significant investment in education marks the highest amount ever distributed by the Foundation in a single year and demonstrates a growing commitment to helping students across the Outer Banks region pursue higher education.
A total of 34 graduating high school seniors from local schools—including Cape Hatteras Secondary School, First Flight High School, Manteo High School, Ocracoke School, and even one student from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics—received $119,500 in scholarships. Of these students, 19 were granted renewable awards, meaning they will continue to receive funding throughout their college careers, potentially covering all four years of tuition.
Additionally, $122,300 was distributed to 40 current college students who are continuing recipients of multi-year scholarships. This group also includes three graduates from the College of The Albemarle Dare Guarantee program who are now attending four-year universities. These awards serve as a bridge for many students between community college and a bachelor’s degree, making education more accessible and affordable.
Several scholarships within the Foundation’s offerings stand out due to their generous amounts and specific goals. The Elizabeth and Wayne Evans Scholarships, for example, provided $20,000 each to two students planning to study nursing at East Carolina University and UNC Wilmington. The Greg and Eden Honeycutt Scholarship, one of the largest, awarded $40,000 over four years to a student planning to major in Media & Journalism and English at UNC Chapel Hill.
Other notable awards included the Jerry and Arlene Davis Scholarship, a $24,000 renewable scholarship for a student studying biology and public health; the Josephine A. Oden Scholarship, which awarded $20,000 to a student majoring in international business; and the Milton A. Jewell Academic Scholarship, granting $24,000 to a future civil/environmental engineer.
Additional support came from scholarships like the Smith-Cooper Scholarship, offering $20,000 to a first-generation college student interested in engineering, and the R. Stewart Couch Hatteras Island Scholarship, which provided a one-time award of $8,000 to a student pursuing a career in physical therapy.
Robin Mann, who chairs the Scholarship Committee and serves on the Foundation’s board of directors, expressed pride in the growing number of applicants and awardees. She highlighted the deeply personal and rewarding experience of engaging with students during the review process and emphasized the foundation’s dedication to supporting local talent.
The Foundation currently oversees more than 70 different scholarship funds. Many are made possible through the generosity of families, businesses, nonprofits, civic organizations, and government entities. More awards are expected to be announced soon through the Foundation’s Partners Program.
Anyone interested in creating or contributing to a scholarship fund is encouraged to reach out to the Outer Banks Community Foundation. Additional information is available at www.obcf.org, where a full list of scholarship recipients and details about donating can be found.
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