Sumter County High School Student Receives Walter Harrison Scholarship

Jacob Peed (left), Sumter EMC’s Community Connections Coordinator, is with Lauren Harris (right), Walter Harrison Scholarship Recipient and Sumter County High School Graduate

Contact: Jacob Peed

Email: jacob.peed@sumteremc.com

Date: May 15, 2026

Sumter County High School Student Receives EMC Scholarship 

Americus, GA – Sumter County High School student Lauren Harris is a 2026 recipient of the Walter Harrison Scholarship awarded by electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) in Georgia, including Sumter EMC.

Harris competed against 85 other students from across Georgia for the scholarship, which provides $1,000 to help offset the rising costs associated with obtaining a college degree. 19 scholarships were awarded to students statewide and were chosen based on the students’ academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and their service to the community. 

"The caliber of scholarship applicants keeps rising every year," said Tonya Jones, Community Relations Manager at Sumter EMC. "Sumter EMC takes great pride in supporting the education of such a talented young individual, who has already shown remarkable academic success and a strong commitment to our community."

Lauren Harris is a Senior at Sumter County High School graduating this May. She’s had a myriad of both academic and extracurricular accomplishments. These include being a University of Georgia Certificate of Merit recipient, having the highest GPA of any student athlete, 4H’er of the Year, Class President, Captain of the Women’s Tennis Team, Co-Captain of both the Volleyball and Basketball teams, and she’s the Founder and Owner of her own line of fragrances called Laurence Fragrances. She is the daughter of Michael and Tyeesiah Harris, and she plans to attend Kennesaw State University this Fall for Electrical Engineering.

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 scored each scholarship to determine a final ranking. Georgia EMC compiled the judges’ choices to determine the winners, with the 19 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 among EMCs. 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 $290,000 has been awarded to approximately 309 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 approximately 5 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.

About Sumter EMC
Sumter Electric Membership Corporation, based in Americus, Georgia is a member-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 15,000 members in Chattahoochee, Dougherty, Lee, Marion, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, and Webster counties. To learn more, visit www.sumteremc.coop and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.