Special to Iredell Free News

Iredell Crosby Scholars celebrated the Class of 2023 on Tuesday, April 25. More than 300 people gathered at the Statesville Civic Center to honor the seniors who completed the program.

Guest speaker Israel Suarez talked to the students about saying yes to opportunities and shared his story of making connections. He talked about how Crosby Scholars was and still is a part of his journey. He invited graduates to reach out to him as they build their networks.

This year 242 students completed the program. The Class of 2023 volunteered 12,578 hours of time during their years in the Crosby Scholars program. Almost 3,000 hours were spent in workshops and 1,000 hours in advising. These are remarkable achievements considering how much the pandemic affected this group.

Board members presented seniors with a graduation cord during the program. Ninety-one seniors earned an Executive Director’s Award. They received a $50 gift card for completing the program from sixth through 12th grade.

Scholarship and Awards

Board and staff members announced winners of more than $27,000 in scholarships:

Board of Directors Award ($250)
• Angelina Vargas
• Shakayla Lewis
• Shreya Sridher
• Annabel Wheeler
• Kenya Williams
• Breanna Gutierrez
• Elena Webb
• Jaikan Blankinship
• Zaira Beck
• Devon Caldwell
• Elleigh Williams

Mooresville Rescue Squad Scholarship ($1,000)
• Drina Shah
• Alana Driver
• Laney Hall
• Piper Lucas
• Julia Kalinina

North Iredell Opportunity Scholarship ($1,000)
• Kaylee Greer
• Eva Austin
• Lainey Thompson

Joyce Kohfeldt Determination Award
• Valentina Celi $1,000
• Ansleigh Lane $1,000
• Sindhu Gadiraju $500

Goodwill Willpower Scholarship ($1,500)
• Anthony Zeigler

Goodwill Art Gibel Scholarship ($1,000)
• Yajat Govardhan

Art Gibel Community Builder Scholarship ($1,000)
• Rafael Bonamigo Valls

Crosby Scholars Impact Scholarship ($500)
• Yajat Govardhan
• Kirkland Eater

Mitchell Community College Crosby Scholarship ($7,500 for two years)
• Trinity Webb

Community College Book Scholarship ($500)
• Grace Blackwelder
• Lily Darr

Grandparent’s Day Scholarship ($1,000)
• Dmitri McPherson

Crosby Scholars would like to thank Mitchell Community College; Goodwill of Northwest Industries of North Carolina; the Mooresville Rescue Squad; and Joyce Kohfeldt, a long-time supporter who we recently lost. These groups and individuals have funded scholarships and we appreciate their support. Thanks to Noah Baldwin and Chester Jones for their photography. Our appreciation to Cossundra Floyd Balloons, Gatherings Catering, and the Statesville Civic Center for making the event special for everyone.

LEARN MORE

Crosby Scholars in Iredell County is a free program for public school middle and high school students. For more information, visit www.crosbyscholarsiredell.org.

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