Local High School Seniors Surprised at Home with CFCC Merit Scholarships

WILMINGTON, NC – The Cape Fear Community College Foundation recently awarded merit scholarships to eleven local students who will begin their first year of college at CFCC this fall.

Since students were unable to participate in traditional graduation ceremonies this year, each student was surprised at home with their award by CFCC Foundation staff.

The recipients demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in their high school careers. Academic performance, extracurricular activities, and community service were all considered in the selection process.

The 2020 Merit Scholar recipients are Maria Congema (Laney High School), Briana Vreuls (Topsail High School), Ava Johnson (New Hanover High School), Anahi Paz (Heide Trask High School), Julia Sullivan (Topsail High School), Watson Orr (Heide Trask High School), Sadie Boyle (Topsail High School), Tyler Allison (Topsail High School), Trey Lee (Wilmington Christian Academy), Robert Mattox (Laney High School), and Aaron Marcinowski (New Hanover High School).

Students were delighted to see the Foundation at their door. “Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity,” said CFCC Merit Scholar Maria Congema. “It’s going to make such a huge difference in my life. I’m just so excited!”

Each student received $1,300 toward their first semester at CFCC, and will receive an additional $1,300 for the spring semester if they maintain a 3.5 GPA while completing 12 credit hours this fall.

“I am determined that making my own music be my lifetime career, but getting established takes time, learning, hard work, and money,” said CFCC Merit Scholar Ava Johnson. “This scholarship will help cover the costs of my education while I’m a fledging musician starting my career and learning the skills to make my art a business.”

The CFCC Foundation’s merit scholarships are awarded each year. To be considered, a student must be a current high school senior within New Hanover or Pender County and must have applied or been approved to enroll at Cape Fear Community College.

“Thank you so much for this scholarship. I’m going to use this to pursue my dream of becoming an engineer,” said CFCC Merit Scholar Aaron Marcinowski.

Scholarships are made possible by the generous support of CFCC Foundation donors. For more information, please visit cfcc.edu/foundation.