SMECO Awards Four Scholarships

Four high school seniors have been awarded scholarships from the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative.

The scholarships are given to students who live in the cooperative’s service area. They are based on the applicants’ scholastic achievement, financial need, and school and community involvement.

SMECO has awarded scholarships to 120 students in the 30 years since beginning the program in 1993. Each of the following students will receive a $2,500 college scholarship: Destiny Erugo, Corey Goddard Jr., Sawyer Gray, and Julianna Hammett.

Destiny, a graduate of North Point High School in Charles County, plans to attend Loyola University New Orleans to pursue a degree in public health.

She has served as secretary of the NPHS Best Buddies and has also been a member of the NPHS varsity tennis team, National Honor Society, and National Technical Honor Society.

She volunteers through OUR Place Soup Kitchen, served as the chairwoman of the National Council of Negro Women during the 2021 Top Teens of America Area II Conference, and has participated in the Southern Maryland chapter of Top Teens of America since 2018.

She is active in programs that further her education, including participating in the Brandeis Precollege Program for Women’s Health and completing 40 clinical hours at the University of Maryland Charles County Regional Medical Center. Destiny has received the Principal’s Honor Roll each year.

Her mother, Ebere Erugo, and stepfather, Alland Leandre, live in Waldorf.

Corey is a graduate of North Point High School. He plans to study biology at Howard University.

An avid soccer player, he is a member of the NPHS soccer team and a club team. In addition to soccer, he also enjoys lacrosse and volleyball.

He is a member of the NPHS marching band, serving as both section and squad leader. Corey won the Marching Band Choreography Award and performed two solos, helping the band win second place in two separate competitions. He has earned the Principal’s Honor Award and the North Point Theatre Volunteer of the Year Award. He has volunteered at the Bethel Baptist Church, performing outreach and facilitating Bible-teaching videos.

Corey is the child of Corey Goddard Sr. and Sophia Goddard of Waldorf.

Sawyer, a graduate of Patuxent High School in Calvert County, plans to study elementary education at the College of Southern Maryland, Prince Frederick campus.

She has been a member of the National Honor Society since 2020. She has served as a treasurer, vice president, and president of the PHS Best Buddies. Gray has been a member of the varsity lacrosse team for two years, a member of the PHS varsity Cheerleading Team, and the symphonic band. She volunteers in her community while also working a part-time job and running a small business with her sister.

Sawyer is ranked 18th of 231 students and has earned Honor Roll, High Honor Roll, the Academic Excellence Award, the Academic Excellence Award for the Teacher Academy of Maryland, and Most Spirited Award.

She is the child of Paul and Abbe Gray of Lusby.

Julianna is a graduate of Leonardtown High School in St. Mary’s County. She plans to study nursing at Salisbury University.

Julianna is a member of the National Honor Society and a cabinet member and mentor for the Freshman Academy. She is a member of the chorus and chamber choir, performs student-to-student mentorship, serves as head editor of the LHS newspaper, and has been a baseball manager each year.

She volunteered through the Key Club and Leo Club service organizations and served as president of the Leo Club for one year. She attended the Old Dominion University Model United Nations Conference, where she worked alongside students from other states to help find solutions for the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine.

Her parents are Suzanne and Jose Ocasio and Robert Hammett.

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is a customer-owned electric cooperative providing electricity to more than 150,000 services in southern Prince George’s County, Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and Calvert County.

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