Quentin Seegars, a senior business major at Claflin University, was announced as the 2021 McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year at SCICU’s board meeting on Sept. 28.
Honoring the combined legacies of leadership at SCICU and the S.C. Tuition Grants Commission, the award recognizes academic achievement and campus/community involvement made by S.C. Tuition Grants recipients. The award includes a $3,000 scholarship.
“I am extremely grateful to SCICU for this award and for providing me the opportunity to further my education,“ said Seegars. “I will be the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree. I want to set the bar high. This award and the scholarship enable me to accomplish that.”
“Quentin is an extremely talented scholar who has achieved a 4.0 GPA during multiple semesters. His outstanding academic accomplishments have placed him on the President’s List and the Dean’s List,” said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, Claflin University president. “Quentin has displayed leadership skills in the BB&T Emerging Leaders Institute, as a peer mentor for Panther STEPS, and as the business manager for Cultivating Kings, a campus mentoring group. He is eminently deserving of this award.”
“SCICU is proud to honor Quentin with the Student of the Year scholarship,” said Jeff Perez, SCICU president and CEO. “Quentin’s academic achievements and leadership in the community are an inspiration to all of us and demonstrate the superior preparation students receive at Claflin and all SCICU member institutions.”
The McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year recipient is chosen from rising junior or senior applicants attending SCICU member colleges and universities. All applicants must also be S.C. Tuition Grant recipients. Applications are accepted by the Center for Scholarship Administration in Greenville, and an independent three-person panel annually selects the student who will receive the SCICU Student of the Year scholarship.
The scholarship program honors J. Lacy McLean and Sterling L. Smith. McLean advocated for independent higher education in S.C. for over 34 years. Smith was instrumental in the development of the S.C. Tuition Grants program.