The Walter Harrison Scholarship selection committee recently announced that Jadie Burrell has been named one of 14 recipients of the scholarship in 2022. The scholarship is sponsored by the electric cooperatives in Georgia, including Sumter EMC. Recipients were chosen based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities and their service to the community.

Earlier this year, Jadie competed against 77 other students from across Georgia for the scholarship, which provides $1,000 to help offset the rising costs associated with obtaining a two- or four-year college degree.

“The quality of scholarship applicants continues to increase each year,” says Andrea Walker, VP of Marketing and Administration at Sumter EMC. “The selection committee noted how competitive the field was this year, making Jadie’s selection to the top 14 a testament to her scholastic achievements.”

Applicants were required to submit a brief essay explaining why they would be good candidates to receive the scholarship, while also outlining their educational and career goals and any special circumstances for consideration. Students could use this opportunity to highlight community involvement or a desire to serve others.  School performance, grade point average, scholastic honors, extracurricular activities, and financial need were all factors considered by the selection committee. The scholarship funds can be applied to any accredited two- or four-year university, college or vocational-technical school in Georgia.

Jadie Burrell is a senior at Southland Academy and the daughter of James & Carol Burrell of Parrott, Georgia. Jadie attends Central Baptist Church, where she is an active member of their youth group. Jadie plans to attend The University of Georgia in the fall, where she hopes to major in Kinesiology and ultimately attend physical therapy school to become a physical therapist. Jadie is involved in many clubs at Southland, including National Beta Club, SGA, and Yearbook Staff. She is also active in sports, representing her school in varsity cross country, track and field, basketball, and softball.               

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 the electric cooperative program. It is funded by Georgia’s 41 electric cooperatives, including Sumter EMC, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Georgia Rural Electric Supply Corp. Since 1987, more than $250,000 has been awarded to approximately 260 students through the Walter Harrison Scholarship, created in 1985 by the board of directors of Georgia EMC, the trade association representing the 41 electric cooperatives in Georgia, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp.

Sumter EMC, based in Americus, Georgia, is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to 20,000 members in 11 counties.