Pat Conroy
“There is no word in the language I revere more than ‘teacher.’ My heart sings when a kid refers to me as his teacher, and it always has. I’ve honored myself and the entire family of man by becoming a teacher.”—Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides
Established to encourage and support high school seniors with a declared intent to pursue a career in education, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Future Educator Scholarship honors the teaching legacy of the late Pat Conroy (1945 – 2016), acclaimed bestselling author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and more. The inaugural scholarship is funded through the generosity of former educators and will be presented in spring 2023. The $5,000 scholarship will be awarded in two parts: (1) $2,500 on high school graduation and college acceptance, and (2) $2,500 in the awardee’s junior year of college as a future candidate for teaching. In addition to receiving the cash award, the scholarship recipient will also be paired with a teaching mentor who will serve as an additional supportive resource throughout the student’s degree program.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
The Conroy Center’s Future Educator Scholarship is open to all Beaufort County, South Carolina, graduating high school seniors with an interest in pursuing a career in education and meeting the following criteria. The ideal candidate will: (1) have earned a GPA of 3.0 or greater on the SC Uniform Grading Scale, have earned a 21 or greater on the ACT and/or a 1080 or greater on the SAT, (3) be a legal U.S. citizen and a legal resident of Beaufort County, (4) submit two letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors not related to the applicant, and (5) complete the required application form and two essays. Priority will be given to need-based applicants.
WHEN TO APPLY
The 2023 scholarship application period is now open and will conclude on March 20, 2023. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection committee, and finalists will be contacted for brief interviews. The scholarship recipient and all other applicants will be notified of their status by April 10, 2023.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online at https://forms.gle/Su5QxtyZMVihtFdJ8 or via the Conroy Center’s website at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org. Please contact the Conroy Center with any questions at patconroyliterarycenter@gmail.com.
