Emma Elizabeth Gerraughty

   I would love to take the opportunity to express my gratitude and introduce myself as a recipient of one of your scholarships for the upcoming school year. My name is Emma Gerraughty, and my family and I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I will be attending the University of South Carolina Honors College this fall. While I am currently undeclared, I will be majoring in either Environmental Science or Marine Science. I have always felt passionate about conservation of the world around us, especially our oceans, which drove my decision to pursue a career in these fields. Throughout most of my high school career, I have kept myself busy with a job and extracurricular including theatre, which served as a way to consistently push my own boundaries. Looking back on my high school career, I believe that I ideally balanced my education with personal enrichment and hard work for the things I wanted and needed, which motivates me to continue to do so in my university studies.

   None of this would be possible without my family, who love and support me beyond words. Before I was around my mother, Libby, had achieved her goals of becoming a dental hygienist and held a job she loved at a dental office in Fayetteville, North Carolina. When I came into the picture, however, she sadly left this job to dedicate her time to raising me and later, my sister. While this meant that my father had to work much harder and sacrifice time with us, they felt it would be worth it. Now that we are reaching adulthood, she decided to return to the career she loved so much and began pursuing another job in the dental industry. She has now been employed at Mallard Creek Family Dentistry for the better part of a year, and loves it more now than ever. I truly feel that receiving the 3 to 1 Scholarship through Cain Watters has validated all of the hard work and sacrifices she made to raise me, as well as the effort I’ve put into my studies thus far. Easing some of the financial pressure from my parents’ shoulders is priceless to our family. Thank you again for believing in me and investing in my education. I cannot wait to see where this opportunity takes me in the future.

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