Emily Blackshire, of Hilton Head, has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship provided by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.

Emily Blackshire, of Hilton Head, has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship provided by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.

(Hilton Head, SC) – Emily Blackshire, of Hilton Head, has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship provided by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.  Blackshire, a rising senior at Hilton Head Preparatory School, was selected to receive the R.D. Bennett Scholarship while in Washington, D.C., in June.  The scholarship is named for Robert D. Bennett, the first manager of the South Carolina electric cooperatives’ statewide association.

“My ambitions in life are simply to make the world a better place, for one person or for millions,” said Blackshire.  “Though I’m not entirely sure what that means yet, I know it drives me to attempt to excel in everything I do.”

Blackshire was selected out of 47 South Carolina high school seniors to receive the scholarship during the co-ops’ annual Washington Youth Tour, a six-day all-expenses paid trip to our nation’s capital.  The tour is sponsored by each of South Carolina’s electric cooperatives.  Blackshire represented Palmetto Electric Cooperative.  She was among more than 1,500 students from across the country who spent a week visiting Washington, D.C. landmarks, meeting with lawmakers and learning about electric cooperatives.

View photos from the 2011 Washington Youth Tour.