Katherine Farrell of Camden is grateful for divine intervention and a WIRE scholarship that will allow her to
complete her college degree this fall.
“This was great news,” Farrell says of being named one of two winners of the 2014 WIRE Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarships. “I was so upset that I wasn’t going to be able to finish school.”
The one-time $2,500 scholarship will help Farrell earn her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Liberty University. A single mom and full-time employee with child services for the S.C. Department of Social Services, Farrell is a Lynches River Electric Cooperative member who has been taking classes online every semester since 2009 to reach her dream of becoming a teacher. With only three classes left, Farrell had run out of financial aid and was out of funds until, she says, the hand of God steered her to the WIRE scholarship opportunity.
WIRE (Women Involved in Rural Electrification, a community service organization affiliated with the electric cooperatives in South Carolina) awards scholarships each year to women who may not have been able to attend college after high school but now want to further their education. Awards are based on financial need and personal goals.
Also receiving a 2014 WIRE scholarship is Summer Brown of Fountain Inn, a member of Laurens Electric Cooperative. Brown is a working mom and sole breadwinner for her family. She applied for the WIRE scholarship after reading about it in South Carolina Living.
Brown now expects to complete her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Wesleyan University in September 2015.
“I’m hoping the degree opens up more opportunities to be able to provide for my family,” Brown says.
