BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD, Insider Editor
The Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes recently presented two annual scholarships at its awards banquet on June 2.
New Union Pines graduates Samantha Wilson and Nathaniel Ward each received $1,000 in recognition of their Key Club participation and leadership.
The scholarships are in memory of Fred Seufert, who was named as the Kiwanian of the Year in the early 2000s. Seufert was known for his dedication to the community of Seven Lakes and for his quick, endearing smile. A legacy donation to the club from Seufert’s estate allows the club to continue the annual scholarship program.
Ward said he loved his three years of participating in Key Club and the ability to help the community through that service. He plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill and to study psychology and business. He is looking at pursuing an MBA and possibly a PhD in psychology. This scholarship allows him to further his education and to continue helping the community as a college student.
Wilson has been giving a helping hand since elementary school, always wanting to be the one to turn off the classroom lights when the teacher showed a video on the SmartBoard or lending her pencils and erasers. As a high school student, she was able to amplify this giving spirit through her participation in Key Club.
“I was able to do things I hadn’t been able to before with the help of our student officers and Mrs. Murphy,” Wilson wrote in her scholarship autobiography. “I really loved being anywhere the Key Club was, even though I was a freshman and didn’t know anybody at the club yet. Since then, my love for service has grown tremendously.”
Wilson served as the club president for the 2021-2022 school year. She plans to continue her education at Sandhills Community College, where she will pursue a degree in art. Her plans also include obtaining a degree in psychology.
In addition to maintaining a 3.0 grade point average, students receiving the Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes scholarships show full participation in Key Club Activities and exhibit leadership potential in Key Club activities.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at (910) 693-2496 or maggie@thepilot.com.
