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Three students were awarded the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce’s Mason H. Hunter Vocational Educational Scholarship of the Shallow Ford Foundation (formerly the Clemmons Community Foundation).

Austin Casey and Bailey Coleman from West Forsyth High School and Jackson Curd from Reagan High School were all awarded a scholarship and will be paired with a mentor from the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce.

The Mason H. Hunter Vocational Education Scholarship honors the life of Mason H. Hunter, who passed away unexpectedly in March 2018 at the age of 17. The scholarship benefits area students with preference to those seeking to continue vocational and occupational education and training that provides a clear career path.

Brad Hunter, father of Mason Hunter, offered the following quote: “Shauna and I would like to thank all those that applied for the Mason H. Hunter Vocational Education Scholarship. We would also like to thank the scholarship committee, the Shallow Ford Foundation and the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce. It is truly a team effort in keeping Mason’s memory alive in each one of you and the good that comes from this award. To Bailey, Austin, and Jackson — congratulations to you three, we truly hope this scholarship will help you and your families in the year ahead. Your futures are bright and we all know you three are going to do great things. Much success and may God bless you in this journey of life!”    

Austin Casey

A graduate of West Forsyth High School, Austin Casey aspires to continue his career in the HVAC industry, eventually opening his own HVAC company or sporting clay range. He will study air conditioning, heating and refrigeration technology at Forsyth Tech as part of his career path. He also plans to take businesses classes to help him towards his goal. Casey graduated in December and has already started working in the industry and begun taking classes.

Casey is a competitive shotgun athlete, ranked in the “A” classification by the National Sporting Clays Association and working towards the “master” classification. He was active as lieutenant with the West Forsyth JROTC, drill team, and color guard, received a varsity letter from the West Forsyth Hunter Education Team and competed with the Forsyth Phoenix Scholastic Clays Target Program, where he was 2020 NSCA N.C. state champion, 2020 NSCA 5 Stand state champion, 2021 East Coast Regional 5 Stand state champion, and 2021 SCTP state champion. He was also a cadet with the Clemmons Fire Department for three years.

Casey shared, “This scholarship will help me as I pursue my HVAC certification at Forsyth Technical Community College. Additionally, I look forward to being paired with a mentor whose leadership will help me to become a business owner in the future.”

Bailey Coleman

Bailey Coleman graduated from West Forsyth High School and will attend Belmont Abbey College to study criminology in the fall. During high school, she was involved with West Forsyth softball as a pitcher, the West Wackos, Crosby Scholars, and the National Society of High School Scholars. She also served as a volunteer with SECU Family House as a baker.

“This scholarship has the importance in my college career of helping me find ways to help others,” Coleman said on the impact of the scholarship award.

Jackson Curd 

Graduating from Reagan High School, Jackson Curd will attend the University of Northwestern Ohio to study agricultural equipment technology.

“This degree is important to me because I will be able to work in a field that impacts agriculture in our country. The scholarship offers not only financial support but the opportunity to work with someone who has experience within the trade fields and will be able to help guide me through my college experience and as I move into a trade profession,” says Curd.

Curd was record keeping and armory inventory leader and saber team commander with JROTC while in high school. He also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Senior Olympics.

Ditra Miller, CEO of the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce, said, “Our chamber has always had a heart for the community. When the community was hurting over the loss of a young man whose life ended way too soon, we wanted to do our part to help heal the community, wrap our arms around the family, and create an enduring legacy that will help young people on a path to a successful career and bright future. With that, we worked with the Shallow Ford Foundation to launch the Mason H. Hunter Vocational Education Scholarship.

“We added mentoring to this scholarship to make it high-touch. A quote that comes to mind is, ‘Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.’ It allows leaders and business owners in our chamber to connect and shape the career path of the award winners, and hopefully, give them a reason to continue to live, work, and sow back into this community.”

The Shallow Ford Foundation, formerly the Clemmons Community Foundation, facilitates this and other scholarship opportunities for local philanthropists. For more information on the scholarship programs, go to shallowfordfoundation.org.