The Community Foundation of WNC awarded 33 students across Buncombe County and Asheville City schools with scholarships for college in 2023.

ASHEVILLE - With all the challenges of transitioning from high school to the world of college, cost will not be one of them for Sophia Nash.

The recent Asheville High School graduate just received a full-ride scholarship to attend North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Her first day was Aug. 21, when she spoke with the Citizen Times in between dashing to classes. Nash is studying chemistry at N.C. State.

Over $100,000 in scholarships were awarded to four students in Buncombe County and Asheville City schools from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Nash, who played volleyball all four years of high school, was the president of the Spanish Club, and started her own chess club as a junior, was one of these four.

Recent Asheville High graduate, Sophia Nash, receives $40,000 scholarship from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to attend North Carolina State.

She was awarded the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship — receiving $40,000 over four years.

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"I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have. I'm super fortunate because I don't have to stress over financial burdens and I feel like this scholarship has opened the door to continue onto higher education debt free," Nash told the Citizen Times.

The CFWNC approved scholarships totaling $558,000 to 96 Western North Carolina students in 53 schools in 19 counties, according to a news release from the foundation. Each scholarship has different eligibility criteria and is offered to students who are going into a specific degree or who will attend a select college or university.

In total there were 33 students across Buncombe County and Asheville City schools who were awarded a scholarship for college from the CFWNC — with five of them being from Enka High School, four from Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy and three from TC Roberson. Students who received scholarships also hail from Asheville High School, AC Reynolds and North Buncombe.

Another top recipient is Nancy Membreno, a first-generation college student, who graduated from School of Inquiry and Life Sciences in Asheville. Membreno is attending UNC Chapel Hill this fall and was also awarded a Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, for $40,000 over four years.

Nancy Membreno is a first-generation college student attending UNC Chapel Hill. She was awarded a Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, for $40,000 over four years.

"I found everything about college intimidating, but I wanted to prioritize scholarships. Receiving the Marilyn Lester and William Lester Scholarship, brought me relief over my financial situation and demonstrated that people believe I can succeed in college and beyond," Membreno told the Citizen Times in an Aug. 21 email.

The other top recipients who were granted the most money are as follows:

Ruby Blue from Martin L. Nesbitt Academy is attending N.C. State. Blue was awarded the Irving Jacob Reuter Award, which comes out to $40,000 over four years, and the Rotary Club of Asheville Harry R. Morrill Scholarship, for $5,000. To be eligible for the Reuter Award, a student had to show "superior academic achievement, strong moral character; community service, extracurricular activities and/or work experience; and success in dealing with life's challenges," according to the CFWNC website.

Julia Givens from Charles D. Owen High School. Givens is attending UNC Chapel Hill and was awarded $20,000 over four years from the Nelle Crowell Fletcher and G.L. Crowell Fund Scholarship. The criteria was based on academic achievement including GPA, SAT or ACT test scores, a need for financial help and community involvement.

More: Free tuition for some at Chapel Hill after Supreme Court ruling; What about WNC schools?

There were more than 60 volunteers from the community who worked to review applications and choose recipients, the release said.

"After reviewing these scholarship students through the lens of an alumnus, a parent, and now, a committee member, I can honestly say the caliber of students in our area is extraordinary and we, as a community, should be extremely proud to recognize and celebrate them," volunteer reviewer for the Irving Jacob Reuter Award, Leslie Berry said in the release.

CFWNC is a nonprofit, founded in 1978 that works with families, businesses and nonprofits to "strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking," according to their website.

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McKenna Leavens is the education reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at mleavens@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @LeavensMcKennna. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Buncombe students earn full-ride college scholarships