Thursday, Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County staff and the Richardson family presented the Dana Conner Richardson Memorial Scholarship to Kannapolis resident Jada Smith. Smith, a rising freshman at North Carolina A&T University, received $5,000 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the annual scholarship.
“Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me,” said Smith. “I have worked hard in order to receive this scholarship and it will benefit greatly with financial aid. I would also like to thank everyone that was involved with this process, I am very appreciative of your generosity.”
Smith plans to major in industrial engineering and minor in mathematics.
Since 2011, Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus has awarded scholarship funds annually to one or more students of Habitat Cabarrus homeowners and their families in memory of Dana Conner Richardson, the late associate director for Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County.
“We’re excited to award such a deserving and hardworking young woman in our community,” said Amy Freeze, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County. “With the ongoing pandemic and thanks to donor support, it’s truly a blessing to be able to raise the scholarship to $5,000 this year in honor of the 10th anniversary.”
Richardson, who lost her battle to cancer in 2010, was deeply committed to the principles of Habitat for Humanity and the elimination of poverty in Cabarrus County. She was also a strong believer in higher education as demonstrated by the fact that she was the first in her family to graduate from college. Since the program’s inception, Habitat for Humanity Cabarrus County has awarded $16,000 in scholarships.