Let’s be real: college is expensive. Like, “selling a kidney might help” expensive.
But here’s some genuinely good news — 18 students across the Carolinas just caught a major financial break.
Coastal Credit Union, teaming up with the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, just awarded $47,000 in merit-based scholarships through their Credit Union Scholarship Program. That’s real money going to real students who are working hard to make their educational dreams happen.
Meet the Winners
These 18 students are heading to some great schools this year, and they’re doing it with a little less stress about how to pay for it all:
- Zahra Attari — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Alexa Goble — Savannah College of Art and Design
- Lacie Holman — Auburn University
- Andrew Hoppen — University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Austin Krueger — Duke University
- Sebastian LaRoche — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Liliya Mitchell — North Carolina State University
- Douglas Murphy — Western Carolina University
- Madison Northup — Appalachian State University
- Kai Oduor — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Elizabeth O’Leary — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Eric Polinsky — East Carolina University
- Tierrah Simmons — University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Sophia Sisolak — East Carolina University
- Mary Sopp — North Carolina State University
- Ava Lane Spey — North Carolina State University
- Leah Tang — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Amaryah Thomas — Appalachian State University
Why This Matters
Tuition keeps climbing at both public and private institutions — and that’s not exactly breaking news. What matters is what we do about it. Coastal Credit Union and its Foundation aren’t just talking about supporting education; they’re putting money behind it through the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation Scholarship Fund, which manages scholarship programs for multiple credit unions throughout the region.
Every dollar counts when you’re trying to balance textbooks, tuition, and ramen noodles. Congratulations to all 18 recipients — here’s to less debt and more focus on what really matters: learning, growing, and building your future.