Every year the Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District awards a deserving Aiken County graduating senior with the Jeffrey Dale Swartz Scholarship every year in honor of Commissioner Emeritus, Edward Swartz’s son, Jeffrey who tragically lost his life in 2007 responding to a medical call as a volunteer for the Wagener Fire Department. In his honor, an Aiken County graduating senior pursuing a degree in natural resource sciences is chosen to receive a $1000.00 scholarship. This year the Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District (ASWCD) Board Chair, Ms. Yvonne Kling presented the JDS scholarship to North Augusta High School’s, Austin Mills during a presentation in front of his peers at NAHS and again at ASWCD’s Board of Commissioners monthly meeting. Mr. Mills competed against three other Aiken County Seniors and was chosen by ASWCD’s Board of Commissioners to receive this scholarship because he has excelled during his high school career, he will attend USC Upstate this fall, and he is an inspiring example of a community leader. Commissioners were extremely impressed with Mr. Mill’s involvement in an array of activities including Honors Choir, Jacket Regiment Band Leader, and Second Providence Baptist Church Youth Leader. The Board of Commissioners feel that this scholarship will be the beginning to Mr. Mill’s successful college education and they were pleased to present him with the 2017 Jeffrey Dale Swartz Scholarship. You can read about his involvement in our community, leadership roles he's taken on through his high school career, and his goals during his college career in his winning essay "The Importance of Life", here
