Edlin Teran Del Valle, left, and Nakia Young were WIRE’s recipients of 2023 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarships.
Photos by Josh P. Crotzer
Not everyone’s path to a college degree starts right after high school and ends four years later. The Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship is for women whose journey is less direct.
Women returning to college may now apply for financial assistance from the 2024 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship program. Sponsored by Women Involved in Rural Electrification (WIRE), a service organization associated with South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives, the $2,500 scholarship is a one-time award based on financial need and personal goals.
Nakia Young, a Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative member in West Columbia, has been persistent in her pursuit. After dropping out of high school in 1996, she earned her GED in 1999. The 2023 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship recipient is now at Central Carolina Technical and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She expects to earn her gerontology certification this spring and eventually an associate degree in human services.
“I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish when I graduate,” says Young. “I want to be an advocate for people with mental illnesses.”
Edlin Teran Del Valle, a member of Newberry Electric Cooperative and a 2023 recipient of the scholarship, earned her bachelor’s degree from Lander University in December, 15 years after she put her academics on hold to start a family. Now she’s an inspiration to her three daughters.
“I tell them all the time: It’s never too late to do what you really want to do,” says Del Valle. “There might be obstacles, but if you really work hard for it, you’ll achieve it.”
Applicants for the Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship must:
- Be a member/customer of a South Carolina electric cooperative
- Have graduated from high school or earned their GED at least 10 years ago
- Obtain acceptance into an accredited college or university
- Demonstrate financial need
The deadline to apply is June 1, 2024. The recipient will receive the scholarship for the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semester, paid to the recipient’s college of choice. To apply online or to learn more, visit ecsc.org/wire.