Kailee Whitmer of Arabi, a member of the 2023 graduating class of Crisp County High School, was nominated and selected to receive the Crisp County High School Class of 1965 scholarship from the South Georgia Technical College Foundation. The scholarship can be utilized for tuition, books, supplies, on-campus housing, and educational tools while she pursues her education at South Georgia Technical College.
Alumni of the Crisp County High School Class of 1965 set up the scholarship at South Georgia Technical College as a meaningful way to give back to their community. The scholarship is awarded annually and is open to members of the current graduating class of Crisp County High School who choose to further their education at South Georgia Technical College.
Whitmer plans to enroll in the SGTC Drafting Technology program. The 19-year old wants to be the first one in her family to graduate from college. She is interested in the drafting technology program and hopes to go on to pursue a four-year degree in architecture.
“I am fascinated by the art, the art of something being drawn and then later on built for civilization. It is the fact of it being art, anything that involves paper and pencil is something that I believe is beyond a gift, it is a blessing,” said Whitmer.
She has been drawing for a number of years and is excited to put her skills to work in the Drafting Technology classes at SGTC. “I think I am a pretty good artist and it is something that I had been doing for years and still have not grown tired of it,” added Whitmer.
“I believe attending South Georgia Technical College will allow me to build a better future for myself. No one in my family graduated from college and I have made this my goal. I want to be able to show everyone what I am capable of. I have made it this far and am about to graduate from high school. I believe now I can do anything I want to do for my future.”
Whitmer chose South Georgia Technical College because she is a hands-on person that likes the thought of combining classroom studies with hands-on training. She believes that beginning in the drafting program at SGTC will give her the opportunity to realize her dreams.
Whitmer thanked the members of the Crisp County High School Class of ’65 for providing this scholarship. “I am very thankful for the opportunity to receive this scholarship and with your help, I will be able to accomplish my dream.”
The Crisp County High School Class of 65 initiated this scholarship program 21 years ago when they returned to Cordele for a class reunion. Susan Owens Stripling, along with Patti Bridges Dash and Stella Williams Bailey were the guiding forces behind the scholarship efforts. They decided to enlist the support of their classmates to establish a fund to aid students who wanted to attend South Georgia Technical College after high school graduation. The former CCHS students were successful in securing enough donations from classmates to establish a scholarship endowment fund with the SGTC Foundation.