Half a million in scholarships

Burke High School senior Sharnay Green felt inspired after watching her older brother, Michael, become a better leader and a better person after participating in his high school JROTC program.

She joined JROTC as a freshman, and that decision has paid off in a multitude of ways.

Green has earned more than $500,000 in scholarships, mostly from the Army ROTC, and broken Burke High's record for the most scholarships earned by an individual student.

"It has not really hit me," said Green, who will be the first in her immediate family to go to college.

Charleston County school officials didn't know of another student who had earned as much scholarship money this year, and Dorchester 2 and Berkeley County school administrators said it's too early to know that information for this school year.

The bulk of Green's scholarship offers come from the Army ROTC, which awarded her an $80,000 scholarship at five different schools. Students must meet certain academic and physical requirements as well as write an essay to compete for the Army ROTC money.

Green, who has a 3.7 GPA and ranks in the top 15 in her class, picked up additional scholarship money from Voorhees College, Newberry College and the state LIFE scholarship program.

The state releases a report each fall that shows the scholarship total for every school district, and the state counts the value of scholarships awarded as opposed to those accepted by students. The total also includes the multiple-year value of the scholarship offers. Burke High students earned $2.3 million in scholarship money last year.

Green has served as the battalion commander, the highest position students can hold, for Burke High's Army JROTC unit for the past two years. Maj. John Dunmyer III, the downtown Charleston school's senior Army instructor, saw a number of characteristics in Green that he knew would make her good for the top leadership post. She quietly observes others and absorbs information, and when she speaks, others listen, he said. She takes initiative and completes tasks without being asked. She influences others to perform without telling them to do so, he said.

"She doesn't go along with the crowd," he said. "She stands out. I'd like to keep her for another year or two."

Debra Woods, the school's guidance director, described Green as motivated and her accomplishment as phenomenal.

"That's what makes her different," Woods said, "she doesn't settle for second."

Green initially wanted to go to a college outside of Charleston, but the more she learned about The Citadel, the more she realized that going to school there would be similar to being away. Green will attend The Citadel, where she received a full ride, and she plans to pursue a career in the Army.