Seventeen students from across the state have been named recipients of the 2025 Walter Harrison Scholarship. Each winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship for post-secondary studies at an in-state school. Congratulations to these deserving students:
Grayson Ludington of Fairmount – Amicalola EMC Marie Jolie Mayr of Jasper – Amicalola EMC Nneka Obialor of Powder Springs – Cobb EMC Dania Gonzalez of Woodstock – Cobb EMC Taylor Furman of Adel – Colquitt EMC Alexis Wingenbach of Palmetto – Coweta-Fayette EMC Clayton Hood of Midville – Excelsior EMC James Oliver of Perry – Flint Energies Daniel Chun of Perry – Flint Energies Kennedi Washington of Fairburn – GreyStone Power Alvaro Arcila of Duluth – Jackson EMC Kennedy Henderson of Murrayville – Jackson EMC Iyana Nobles of Brunswick – Okefenoke REMC Laura Gayle Dailey of Millen – Planters EMC Ethan Sharp of McDonough – Snapping Shoals EMC Carter McDaniel of Barnesville – Southern Rivers Energy Deeya Mepani of Bogart – Walton EMC
A total of 78 applications were submitted for the scholarship competition, which provides $1,000 to help offset the rising costs associated with obtaining a college degree. Scholarships were awarded to students statewide and were chosen based on the students’ academic achievements, extracurricular activities and their service to the community.
Applicants were asked to submit a short essay detailing why they would be strong candidates for the scholarship, while also sharing their educational and career aspirations, along with any unique circumstances. This was an opportunity for students to emphasize their community involvement or passion for serving others. The selection committee considered school performance, GPA, academic honors, extracurricular activities, and financial need in their decision-making process.
The Walter Harrison Scholarship Executive Committee is composed of the Georgia EMC board chairman and vice chairman, the Georgia EMC Services Committee chairman, and the managers of Excelsior EMC and Planters EMC. Each committee member individually reviewed blind copies of all applications and chose their top 24 applicants. Georgia EMC compiled the judges’ choices to determine the winners, with the 17 highest scorers receiving scholarships. Scholarships may be used at any two-year or four-year college in Georgia, as well as technical colleges.
The scholarship is named in honor of Walter Harrison, a pioneer in the rural electricity movement and a leader at the local, state and national levels in among EMCs. It is funded by Georgia’s 41 electric cooperatives, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Georgia Rural Electric Supply Corp. Since 1987, more than $280,000 has been awarded to approximately 292 students through the Walter Harrison Scholarship, created in 1985 by the board of directors of Georgia EMC.
About Georgia EMC: Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned co-ops provide electricity and related services to 4.4 million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area. To learn more, visit www.georgiaemc.com and follow us on Facebook and X.
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