First Annual Sparrow Scholarship is Awarded

Hartsville, S.C. — Coker College sophomore Jessica Barnes of Moncks Corner is the inaugural recipient of the college’s Sparrow Scholarship that supports emerging student leaders.

“Jessica was selected in recognition of her already serious commitment to community service,” said Dr. Jim Lemke, professor of political science and philosophy and director of the Center for Research in Leadership and Community Development. “She sets the bar high for those who will follow.”

A communication major and theater minor, Barnes volunteers at the Hartsville Boy and Girls Club and the Hartsville Soup Kitchen. After serving on the Coker Connection orientation staff this summer, Barnes will be president of the Pan African Sisters Association, Chair of Concerts for the Coker College Union, and a resident assistant at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics.

Recipients of the Sparrow Scholarship must have a “B” average in high school and during their first year at Coker College. They must also demonstrate leadership qualities, and participate in extracurricular activities and community service. When the program is fully implemented, there will be one Sparrow Scholar in the sophomore, junior and senior classes and each will be awarded $1,000 a year.

Coker College’s Sparrow Scholars Program was established by the family and friends of the late Lucas L. Sparrow, a long-time employee of Sonoco in Hartsville. The effort to establish the Sparrow Scholars Program was led by his daughter, Rebecca Sparrow, a 1964 Coker College graduate. It is administered by the college’s Center for Research in Leadership and Community Development.

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April 28 , 2008