The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP) Scholarship Committee, comprised of Drs. Gloria Underwood, Warren Carson, Joseph Fox, Crys Armbrust and Lynn Cecil Page, is pleased to announce that Erica Wilkins and Andrew Fletcher have been selected as the 2009 Nina Simone Scholarship recipients. Awardees receive a $1,000 stipend.
Erica Wilkins, the daughter of Eric Wilkins and Joyce Miller, both of Landrum, SC, is a 2008 graduate of Landrum High School. She is a rising sophomore at the University of South Carolina (Columbia) majoring in Accounting and Management Science. She is also a USC Opportunity Scholar, who is deeply involved in numerous community service programs, notably the Ronald McDonald House and the Minority Assistance Peer Program.
Regarding her selection as a Nina Simone Scholar, Wilkins said, “I would like to thank the Nina Simone Project [Scholarship] Committee for selecting me as a 2009 recipient. Because of your generous contribution I will be able to continue my education at USC and ultimately reach my career goals.”
Fletcher, a longtime resident of Tryon, NC, presently living in Asheville, NC, is a rising junior at the University of North Carolina (Asheville) majoring in History. He recently received his Associate of Arts from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Fletcher is a familiar presence in Tryon, with much volunteer experience at the Tryon Fine Arts Center and the Tryon Little Theatre. Additionally, he is a classical, jazz and blues pianist.
“I am walking in Nina Simone’s footsteps,” Fletcher commented about his selection as a Nina Simone Scholar. “Eunice Waymon left Tryon to attend the Allen School for Girls in Asheville, just as I left Tryon to attend college. Ms. Waymon accomplished much because of the assistance provided her by the people of Tryon, and I feel that I too have much to accomplish, with assistance from the present community of Tryon through the Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Scholarship program.”
We congratulate this year’s scholarship recipients and wish them every success on their respective career paths.