Lynches River Electric Cooperative member Jessica Sellers is the winner of the 2025 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship.
Photo by Josh P. Crotzer
Jessica Burch Sellers’ story is exactly what WIRE leaders had in mind when they established the Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship.
Sellers, of Patrick, earned her licensed practical nurse certification in 2007, just after her first child was born. Then she had another daughter and became a single parent.
“I always wanted to get my bachelor’s degree, and then life happened,” says Sellers, who has since remarried and is a “bonus mother” to another four kids. “I kind of put myself on the back burner to raise these children.”
Now Sellers has returned to school to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She’s taking classes at Coker University while serving as a healthcare coordinator at CHESCO Services in Cheraw, supporting adults with special needs.
The Lynches River Electric Cooperative member is the recipient of the 2025 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship, a $2,500 award for women who are members of a South Carolina electric cooperative and are returning to college.
Women returning to college may now apply for financial assistance from the 2026 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 scholarship is a one-time award based on financial need and personal goals.
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, 2026. The recipient will receive the scholarship for the fall 2026 or spring 2027 semester, paid to the recipient’s college of choice.
To apply online or to learn more, visit ecsc.org/wire.