Contributed
On October 17, 2018, our county experienced a great loss when NCSHP Master Trooper Kevin Conner was shot and killed in the line of duty. On that day, we not only lost a great Trooper, but we lost a husband, a father, a son, a friend, and a public servant. Trooper Conner’s widow, Miranda, wanted to do something in Kevin’s honor, and with the outpouring of support from a community and a state who felt Kevin’s loss deeply, she was able to establish the Trooper Kevin Conner Memorial Scholarship Foundation. It was decided that a scholarship would be given to an eligible High School Senior, one from Columbus County, where Kevin lived and served as a Trooper, and one from Bladen County, the place where Kevin was born and raised.
Proceeds from the Trooper Kevin Conner Memorial Run that was held last October and other fundraisers helped to establish these scholarships that were given the name “The Trooper Kevin Conner Spirit of Community and Leadership Award”. Many highly qualified students from Columbus and Bladen County applied for this scholarship. A scholarship committee evaluated scholarship applications and essays in a preliminary round in which no applicant names were revealed. Three applicants from both Bladen and Columbus Counties with the highest preliminary scores were subsequently invited to participate in an interview with the scholarship committee.
Sealey Sessions, daughter of Scott and Amy Sessions, was chosen as the recipient of the inaugural Trooper Kevin Conner Spirit of Community and Leadership award for Columbus County. Sealey is a graduate of East Columbus High School and plans to attend North Carolina State University to major in Zoology. Sealey served as President of the ECHS FFA and was President of the Student Body. She was a member of the Columbus County Student Advisory Board, served as a junior marshal, and was selected as the Three Rivers Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. She was very involved in her school as a National Beta Club and National Honors Society member, member of the Helping Hands Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FFA, Student Council, and Women’s Softball and Tennis teams. She is passionate about her community and has served in Hurricane relief efforts as well as mission work through her church.
In her essay, Sealey said, “Serving those who need help and putting others before yourself is a great way to spread positivity, love, and passion” and she described her most meaningful volunteer experience like this, “I cannot imagine that any other experience could, nor will ever compare to this one. It was filled with emotion, hope, and most importantly, service to my community and my intrinsic reward will be with me for my lifetime.”
Other scholarship finalists from Columbus County were as follows:
Wesley Ward, son of Kris and Carol Ward and student at West Columbus High School, plans to attend NC State University to major in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Technology.
Jayla Cobbs, daughter of John and Shernika Cobbs and student at West Columbus High School, plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill to major in Biology with a minor in sociology on a pre-med track.
Gabriel Barber, son of Sonya Barber, was the recipient of the scholarship for Bladen County. Gabriel attended East Bladen High School, where he was a part of the EBHS Soccer team for 4 years, serving as captain during his Junior and Senior years, and receiving the 2019-20 All-Conference Soccer Player of the Year. He was also a member of the EBHS baseball team and football team and served as captain of the Bladen County Soccer Association for 3 years.
Gabriel was a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Student Government Association. He was an Activity Leader for a STEM youth program through Bladen County 4H, as well as a volunteer for Harmony Hall Restoration and for the Elizabethtown Optimist Club. He has been involved in service through his church and for the Bladen Mission Youth Project. Gabriel was the recipient of the East Bladen Heisman Scholarship and the DAR Good Citizen Award.
He was part of the USMA West Point Summer Leadership Experience, the 2019 Powerade State East Region Soccer Team, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Bladen Community College, and Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society. He served as Chief Marshall at East Bladen High School and was awarded the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists Award of Excellence, among many other honors and awards. In describing his most meaningful volunteer experience, he stated, “By forming bonds with these children and setting a good example for them, I feel that I have impacted their future, inspired them, and helped to guide them on the right path. In turn, they have inspired me to stay on the right path because I want more than ever to make the right decisions and continue to provide a good Christian student-athlete role model for them.” Gabriel plans to attend North Carolina State University to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering.
Other Scholarship finalists from Bladen County were as follows:
Alyssa Bell, daughter of Scott and Mary Bell, a student at West Bladen High School, plans to attend UNC Pembroke to obtain a degree in Pre-Physical Therapy. Autumn Brisson, daughter of Alan and Angela Brisson, a student at West Bladen High School, plans to attend Campbell University to major in Chemistry and has been accepted into Campbell’s Early Acceptance Program for their school of Osteopathic Medicine.
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