ECU, Golden LEAF Foundation prepare scholars for regional impact

Published Feb 17, 2023 by

Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

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“Stand if you’re a first-generation student. Stand if you are majoring in education. Stand if you are a proud Pirate.”

By the end of the list, everyone at the eighth East Carolina University Golden LEAF Scholarship luncheon had risen and been celebrated.

Golden LEAF Foundation President and CEO Scott T. Hamilton snapped a photo of the ECU-Golden LEAF family from the podium as a memento.

Golden LEAF Foundation president Scott Hamilton said the organization is focused on the future and hopeful about the impact the students will have in helping their communities grow. (ECU photos by Rhett Butler)

“You are not alone in this. You’re in a family. The Pirate family and the Golden LEAF family,” Hamilton said of his demonstration. “It’s an honor for us to get to meet you.”

For Pitt County native Ismyia Fornville and other Golden LEAF students, the scholarship is the reason they were able to attend a four-year institution. During a panel Q&A, Fornville and fellow scholarship recipients shared their experiences with foundation and ECU leaders. Fornville, a first-generation Pirate, said as the youngest child in a single-parent home, the scholarship is providing her the opportunity to pursue a degree in biology and her dream of attending medical school to become a radiologist.

Onslow County junior Molly Baile said Golden LEAF has been immeasurably important to her effort as she pursues an elementary education degree and a psychology minor. She said the foundation community has encouraged her and helped propel her to be the best student and person she can be.

“It’s important that we’re going to go (back) to the community that built us and be part of developing that community and make change,” Baile said. “You don’t have to go to the biggest places to make the biggest difference.”

Oasis Lopez, a sophomore majoring in design with a concentration in architecture, said being a Golden LEAF recipient has given him opportunities to gain experience and find mentors in his field. He recently accepted an internship with the ECU RISE 29 program and is looking forward to finding an opportunity to return to Pamlico County after he graduates.

“Obviously, the financial part is important. It’s been the door to college, and it means a lot to me,” Lopez said. “Being part of this community allows us to find new people and grow our network.”

Cameron Mitchell said Golden LEAF is community focused and allowed him to learn to work toward something better. He’s gained valuable leadership skills and grown to appreciate his volunteer experience. The sophomore from Havelock, majoring in management information systems, has recently completed an internship with Carolina Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Hamilton said Golden LEAF is focused on the future and the impact the students will have in helping their communities grow. “Y’all are that future,” Hamilton said. “We have great hopes for you and great hope for rural North Carolina.”

The Golden LEAF family includes 68 current ECU students. The foundation provides 215 scholarships a year — covering tuition, room and board — for students from rural and economically distressed communities to attend North Carolina colleges and universities. Being a Golden LEAF Scholar also provides an opportunity to have a paid internship in their home community through the Rural Internship Initiative. Hamilton said current recipients and the scholarship alumni from ECU are what Golden LEAF envisioned in response to the question, “What can we do to help rural communities grow and prosper?”

Investing in students and supporting rural communities makes Golden LEAF and ECU closely aligned partners, including the pair’s announcement last year of a $1.9 million grant for ECU’s Eastern Region Pharma Center. Chancellor Philip Rogers said the university and the foundation have a shared future-focused mission that has made a difference in the lives of people in the region.

“If we measure success by the number of times I’ve been on stage with Golden LEAF, then we’re doing really well,” Rogers said. “We are true partners in every way. ECU and Golden LEAF are a match made in heaven to solve real-world problems.”

Rogers said the Golden LEAF scholarship program does a lot of good for ECU students. The investment helps ECU prepare students for success and readies them to graduate and return home to continue the shared vision of strengthening their rural communities.

“The future depends on you to lead,” Rogers said. “We are proud of you.”

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding received from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $60 million to this scholarship program and helped more than 29,000 students statewide.

ECU is in the public phase of the Pursue Gold campaign to raise half a billion dollars. This ambitious effort will create new paths to success for Pirates on campus, across the country and around the world. Donor gifts during the campaign will keep us constantly leading and ready to advance what’s possible. Learn more at pursuegold.ecu.edu.