One Hampton County high school student’s college goals have moved 5,000 steps closer thanks to a South Carolina Lowcountry electric cooperative recognized for giving back to the communities it serves.
Palmetto Electric Cooperative representatives paid a visit to Hampton County High School on Friday to present a $5,000 cheque for a college scholarship award to HCHS junior Alexandra Rosier.
The 17-year-old Nixville kid was part of a winning team that won a podcast competition at the 2023 Cooperative Youth Summit, a four-day leadership program that allows high school students to learn more about state government and electric cooperatives.
Rosier, a senior at HCHS, is the daughter of Dawn Rosier and Jackie Rosier Jr.
The Palmetto Electric Coop supported Rosier’s journey to the Youth Summit, and coop executives thought it only fair to present the check in person.
“I want to thank you all for sponsoring me,” said an excited Rosier as she accepted the award in her school’s media center, surrounded by equally excited school staffers. “Without you all, I would not have been able to go. It meant a great deal to me and my parents… This really shows me that the coop cares about me, my family and our community.”
“I’m very excited,” Rosier added. “This is the best Christmas present that I could have gotten – college scholarship money!”
“We are proud of you,” Palmetto Electric President and CEO Berl Davis Jr. responded. “Palmetto Electric is committed to giving back to the community, and the best way we can do that is through education. There is no better way to give back to the community than supporting the young people in the communities we serve.”
Rosier, who prefers to work on projects alone, said she learned a lot about the value of teamwork by working with colleagues Charlotte Beth Burns of Swansea and Leila Blackwell of Summerville, both of whom received $5,000 scholarships.
“I’m working at becoming a team player,” says Rosier, who encourages other young people to apply for the Youth Summit. “I want to see what others think, what has happened in their lives to give them this perspective.”To earn this scholarship award, Rosier, Burns and Blackwell produced an audio essay podcast about what South Carolina means to them. Their story focused on how the people of Summerville and Swansea supported one another following the tragic deaths of local teens.
A panel of journalists, including Darci Strickland of WLTX-TV, Jeffrey Collins of The Associated Press, Sarah Ellis of The State newspaper, and Victoria Hansen of South Carolina Public Radio, chose their podcast.
“I heard some strong writing and strong storytelling,” Hansen said. “I love it when podcasts and radio pieces incorporate outside sound and music.” It can truly bring a work to life.”
The three students were among 43 delegates from all throughout the state who attended the 2023 Cooperative Youth Summit. Rosier is now planning to apply for the 2024 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, which will take place in June in Washington, D.C.
The podcast scholarship competition was sponsored by South Carolina’s electric cooperatives.
“We were really surprised about the quality of the podcasts and the efforts the students put into it,” said Chase Toler, Public and Member Relations Coordinator with the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “We are so proud to be able to recognize Alexandra and her achievements. She exemplified the characteristics of the young people that we are looking for to participate in our youth programs.”
All of the episodes can be found at anchor.fm/ecsc or by Googling Cooperative Youth Summit Podcast Challenge on your favorite podcasting platform.
Rosier, in addition to her work with electric cooperatives, is a NJROTC officer at her high school, where she also plays tennis and competes in track and field.
She intends to attend a four-year college, such as the University of South Carolina, after graduation to pursue degrees in chemistry and science with the ultimate goal of becoming a pharmacist.