Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When they were students at Pocahontas County High School, Fredricah Gardner and Andrew Morrison started a scholarship specifically geared toward students seeking a higher education in a STEM – Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics – field.
Years later, during a late night discussion, they and their fellow classmate, Judd Walther, wondered if the scholarship was still in place. Gardner emailed math teacher Chris Sutton, posing the question and learned that it no longer existed.
Gardner said it was suggested to her that they could revive the scholarship with the help of a local foundation or club.
“I was like, ‘why don’t we just do our own?’ and so we made our own,” she said.
Just like that, Empower Appalachia Foundation was formed, with Gardner and Morrison as co-founders. Gardner is president, Morrison is vice president, Wesley Felton – another classmate – is chief of development and Walther is executive board member.
Together the four members of the PCHS Class of 2014 are focused on providing a STEM Scholarship that offers not only financial assistance, but a mentorship, as well.
“This year, the scholarship will be five thousand dollars – as our financial aspect of it – but we’re trying to stand apart from other scholarships by providing a holistic mentorship program with it,” Gardner said. “During their time at college or while they’re pursuing a STEM field, we want to be in open communication. If they need help, they can reach out to us.
“We wanted to pick up where Andrew and I had left off and just get traction,” she continued. “That was something that has been in the back of our brains for a decade, so we decided let’s do something this year, let’s get something rolling.”
On January 5, the group visited PCHS and met with STEM students to discuss the scholarship and the foundation.
“We were there all morning, for three class periods,” Gardner said. “We talked to six or seven classes.”
Photos and information were shared on the school’s Facebook page about the visit and there was an immediate buzz in the community about what the foundation was doing.
“After we spoke with the students at the high school, [Laurel] Dilley shared a picture on their Facebook of us making the presentation and seeing the reaction to our presentation from the public, it kind of lit a fire under us immediately,” Morrison said. “We didn’t expect it to have an immediate impact, but it was very encouraging.”
The buzz was so impactful, it led to two more members – Chad Corbett and Ryan Taylor, both PCHS alums – to join the board of directors.
The scholarship application and information is on the foundation’s website at empowerappalachia.org
Gardner explained that the application requires a transcript of grades, list of extracurricular activities, community involvement and leadership roles, as well as an essay, maximum 500 words, describing the applicants educational and career goals.
The applications can be sent to info@empowerap palachia.org and are due by April 1. The winner will be announced at the PCHS awards night May 15.
Although the STEM scholarship was the main reason the foundation was formed, Gardner said the board has its sights set on doing more in the future.
“We would like to grow into having a department that helps with funding for young entrepreneurs,” she said. “That’s still in the development stage, so we’re hoping to get that rolled out in the next year.”
For more information on the foundation or to make a donation to the STEM scholarship fund, visit empowerappalachia.org
