Sweet Briar awards 2019 Girl Scouts scholarships to two first-years

Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship winners Cynthia Plaugher (left) and Jesseca Ballard, Sweet Briar Class of 2023


Sweet Briar College has awarded this year’s Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship to two members from the Class of 2023: Jesseca Ballard and Cynthia Plaugher. This marks the second year the joint scholarship has been awarded.

The partnership between Sweet Briar and the Girl Scouts of the USA was first announced in 2017. This year, additional funding was added to allow for up to seven scholarships annually. Only students who have completed the Girl Scouts Gold Award may apply. The Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship is funded by multiple generous Sweet Briar alumnae who are former Girl Scouts and who care deeply about advancing women’s leadership.

“We’re so proud of these young women and what they have already accomplished with the Girl Scouts,” said Beth Clarke, acting vice president for enrollment management. “We’re confident they will do great things at Sweet Briar!”

Ballard, from Leicester, N.C., is the daughter of Sweet Briar alumna Jennifer Ballard ’93. She is interested in the College’s pre-veterinary track and plans to ride in the equestrian program. “Within the 10 years of my life that I have spent in Girl Scouts, I would not give back one second,” she said. “I have learned who I am — from elementary school all the way to graduating high school. It has taught me who I am and how to express myself, plus so much more!”

Plaugher, of Fredericksburg, plans to study environmental science and is also interested in the College’s equestrian program. “In my experience, there are many similarities between Girl Scouts and Sweet Briar,” she told us. “Both organizations instill the same drive for courage, independence and leadership in women, and both have the same goal: to build strong women and help them be productive, responsible members of our world community.”

Girl Scouts who have been accepted at Sweet Briar from anywhere in the United States can apply for one $2,500 award, and another 5 awards of $2,500 each are reserved for students in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas. A $5,000 award is designated for a Girl Scout from the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital.

All seven scholarship awards are available for eligible incoming first-year students from the designated geographic areas who have achieved the Girl Scout Gold Award and have been accepted to Sweet Briar College. The scholarship award is for the first year of study.

Scholarship winners are judged on the following criteria:

1. Acceptance to Sweet Briar College and a commitment to attend
   
2. Current (or recent) active membership in a Girl Scout troop and completion of the Girl Scout Gold Award (please provide copy of the certificate or letter)
   
3. Letter of recommendation from the troop leader
   
4. Essay on your Gold Award project or how you have demonstrated a commitment to community service, leadership and/or sustainability
   

Gold Award winners can apply to Sweet Briar College at sbc.edu/admissions/apply-now. After submitting your application, you can submit the required Gold Award essay inside your Sweet Briar admissions portal.

For questions, contact Sweet Briar’s Office of Admissions at admissions@sbc.edu or 434-381-6142.

For more information about joining the Girl Scouts, visit girlscouts.org.