For more than a century, the South Carolina Bankers Association has been blessed with the strong support of its member institutions and their employees. A key component of the program is the emphasis on offering scholarships to the children of employees of SCBA-member banks who are college students, as well as part-time employees who are also in college.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been awarded over the years to deserving college students through money raised by the Emerging Leaders Division Scholarship Golf Tournament and a significant transfer of funds from our Education Foundation. The SCBA understands that many students today often find themselves burdened by significant debt upon graduation. By offering scholarships to children of bank employees, the SCBA seeks to help students pursue higher education while also laying the foundation for the next generation of South Carolina’s leaders. Each scholarship is $1,250.
Additionally, the SCBA Board of Directors is honoring the memory of two members of the South Carolina banking family whose lives were tragically taken during a bank robbery in 2017. We have established two $2,000 scholarships named after Katie Skeen and Donna Major of the former CresCom Bank. The Palmetto Scholarship Committee will select two individuals from the pool of applicants who will receive the “Katie Skeen Palmetto Scholarship” and the “Donna Major Palmetto Scholarship.”
To be considered for a SCBA Palmetto Scholarship, students must:
Congratulations to our 2026 Palmetto Scholarship winners:
Shelby Grace Addison, Charleston Southern University
Hayden Parker Avant, University of South Carolina
Annie Bray Bennett, College of Charleston
Elizabeth Evans Branham, Clemson University
Emily Paige Brown, Erskine College
Anna Grace Brown, University of South Carolina Beaufort
Charles Alexander Burns, Francis Marion University
Caroline Grace Campbell, Clemson University
Landry James Carsten, University of South Carolina
Riley Elizabeth Case, Clemson University
Joanne Virginia Chetwood, Clemson University
Madison Elizabeth Chisam, Lander University
Addison Kay Church, Auburn University
Emma Grace Ciesielski, University of South Carolina
Olivia Frances Costello, Clemson University
Ella Madison Cox, Clemson University
Caroline Elizabeth Davis, University of South Carolina
Grayson Bradly Diehl, University of South Carolina
Sylvia Iysalyn Dobbe, Lander University
Perry Nile Dyer, Southern Wesleyan University
William Braden Earwaker, University of South Carolina
Ella Kathryn Ferguson, Clemson University
Sanai Ferguson, University of South Carolina
Nathan Roger Gause, University of South Carolina
Emma Cathryne Gaylard, Coastal Carolina University
Andrew Ryan Gesser, Clemson University
Emma Grace Gesser, Presbyterian College
Bre’Niyah Alice Gilbert, Clemson University
Beatriz Goncalves, Houghton University
Crystal Lashay Grant, Lander University
Caroline Rebecca Green, University of South Carolina
Henry Davis Green, University of South Carolina
Lilly Anna Green, Anderson University
Abby Grace Gregory, University of South Carolina Upstate
Addison Kayte Halfacre, Auburn University
Chelsea Madison Hearl, Clemson University
Lillian Kory Henderson, University of South Carolina
Zariah Nyechia Hollington, University of South Carolina
Benjamin C. Holmes, Wofford College
Haley Madison Homme, Clemson University
William Mood Hudson, The Citadel
Owen Davis Jenkins, Clemson University
Carrie Elizabeth Jordan, Clemson University
Krystal Suzanne Judy , University of South Carolina, Katie Skeen Recipient
Lani Grace Kirby, Wofford College
Jayden Christopher Krebs, North Greenville University
Anthony Luca Lattanzio, Clemson University
Walter McNair Long, Clemson University
Emma Kate Matthews, University of South Carolina
Joshua Jackson McGregor, University of South Carolina
Shelby Davis McIntyre, University of South Carolina
Jonay Rechelle McQueen, Hampton University
Dylan Thomas Meetze, University of South Carolina
Peyton Nash, College of Charleston
Elizabeth Rose Nolte Newton, University of South Carolina
Kathryn Shay Owens, University of South Carolina
Matthew Scott Perez, Lander University
Adam H. Prince, Clemson University
Emerson Lloyd Rea, College of Charleston, Donna Major Recipient
Justin K. Rickenbacker, Columbia College
Ashby Hopkins Rickenbacker, The Citadel
Ethan James Rile, Coastal Carolina University
Rylie Ann Roark, University of South Carolina
Zoey Ann Roberts, University of South Carolina Aiken
Maddox Alan Robinson, University of South Carolina – Beaufort
Addison Grace Sanders, University of South Carolina
Darby Reeves Scroggins, University of South Carolina
Mary Elizabeth Segars, Clemson University
Dimonde Shamley, Gardner-Webb university
Ava Brooke Smith, Coastal Carolina University
Natalie Anne Thompson, Clemson University
Ethan Robert Timmons, University of South Carolina
Carter Blane Trout, Anderson University
Caroline Pilcher Uram, College of Charleston
Hanna Witherspoon Walter, Clemson University
Molly Blair Ward, Clemson University
Roman Samuel White, Charleston Southern University
Madison Gail White, University of South Carolina
Charles Rufus Whitlock, The Citadel
Congratulations to the 2026 Palmetto Scholarship Recipients!
To see the reception images, click the button below.