Alumni
Twenty years after the first cohort of Golden LEAF Scholars received their awards, our community now includes several thousand alumni. These individuals are leaders all over the state of North Carolina, living out the values of the Golden LEAF Scholarship as teachers, bankers, doctors, lawyers, consultants, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and more. They remain a vibrant and committed group of individuals who significantly contribute to North Carolina’s rural communities.
By Emma Godwin, Golden LEAF External Affairs Intern
Golden LEAF Scholar alumnus Chandler Bumgarner grew up in Taylorsville, N.C., in rural Alexander County, holding a sense of community close to his heart.
This sense of community was significant as he began his college career at Western Carolina University. Chandler Bumgarner’s closest friends from back home attended his college with him, signifying what it meant to him to have a community and family of friends to lean on.
“In a very small town everyone knows each other and grows up with the same people,” said Bumgarner. “I’m still friends with a lot of the same people I went to high school with. Many of us went to college together as well. My friends are truly my family. I really enjoyed growing up in a rural area with close relationships like that.”
Bumgarner learned about the Golden LEAF Scholarship from his high school counselor, who informed him of the opportunity.
Read more about Bumgarner here.
ScholarsConnect
ScholarsConnect is our exclusive Golden LEAF Scholarship Portal. This platform is a space to:
- Connect current and alumni Golden LEAF Scholars through networking and mentorship,
- Share events of interests, jobs, opportunities, and resources, and
- Drive engagement, participation, and idea sharing to advance our mission of increasing opportunities in rural North Carolina.