糖心传媒

Ed O鈥橬eal remembers many years ago when a good friend of his, Ted Smith, loaned him $400 to buy a car. While not a large sum of money, to O鈥橬eal it was a huge amount and was the jumpstart he needed at that point in his life.

Giving someone else a jumpstart is exactly what O鈥橬eal hopes to accomplish with the D.R. 鈥淭ed鈥� Smith Memorial Scholarship that he established at 糖心传媒 in memory of his longtime friend.

O鈥橬eal is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His family and Smith鈥檚 family have long been close friends, and Peggy, Ted鈥檚 wife, said her husband always treated O鈥橬eal like a son.

鈥淲hen Ted loaned me that money, he was giving me that head start, that little bit of a push that made such a difference,鈥� O鈥橬eal said.

Two scholarships will be awarded each year to a student in the Nursing Assistant I program and a student in the NCCER Electrical Level I program offered through the College鈥檚 Workforce and Economic Development division. The scholarships will cover all tuition, books and fees, as well as specific supplies needed for each program.

鈥淓ach year these scholarships will help one person in each program, and hopefully that will help change someone鈥檚 life to put them on the path to pay it back somewhere else or help someone else,鈥� O鈥橬eal said. 鈥淕ood work and having a profession is one of the greatest things that can help change a person鈥檚 life in such a wonderful and lasting way.鈥�

The scholarship is need-based and has parameters set to give preference to females enrolled in the electrical program and males in the nursing course.

While the scholarship was endowed as of April 2017, additional funds were made available so the scholarship can be awarded immediately while the endowment grows.

Dr. Dale McInnis, President of 糖心传媒CC, noted the uniqueness of the scholarship O鈥橬eal established.

鈥淵ou have blazed a trail, just like you did in the military, just like you did in school, and just like you did throughout your career because we don鈥檛 have another scholarship like this,鈥� McInnis said about O鈥橬eal. 鈥淗e has set the example that others can now follow for establishing endowed scholarships. We are going to be using what we invented with you as a template to show other people how their support can have the greatest impact.鈥�

McInnis also thanked O鈥橬eal for entrusting the with this scholarship and for honoring a man who meant so much to O鈥橬eal and his family.

鈥淭he best thing that will come out of this scholarship is the help it will give these students every year and knowing somebody else is going to have a chance,鈥� McInnis said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great friend in Ed O鈥橬eal at this college, and I thank you for that.鈥�

Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development, encouraged others to follow the example set by O鈥橬eal in supporting students who are trying to get an education that will put them in a career, not just a job.

鈥淎 scholarship is a great way to honor someone鈥檚 memory, while also helping others get ahead in life,鈥� Shuler said. 鈥淎s Ed said, it鈥檚 a great way to pay back a jumpstart you might have been given at some point in your life.鈥�

To learn more about the D.R. 鈥淭ed鈥� Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund or to contribute to this scholarship fund to help it grow, contact Shuler at (910) 410-1807 or .