The Lawton Family Scholarship has a seven-year history of awards to students of excellence, with three Greene County High School (GCHS) students receiving the Lawton Scholarship this year: Jai’lyn Armour, Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamante and Ryan Evans.
The Lawton Family Scholarship is awarded each year to deserving students in Greene County. After qualified students complete applications, a selection team reviews all applications and recommends applicants for interviews with the Lawton family, which makes the final decision.
One criterion for qualification is that students must have a connection during their high school years with ATLAS Ministry, a Christ-centered community resource serving Greene County since 2006, either through courses offered by ATLAS or after-school activities such as mentoring or leadership roles. This year, all three recipients spoke highly of Tools for Success, the ATLAS course they took based on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits for Highly Successful People.
Jai’lyn is a quiet spoken young man, yet strong in his convictions for achieving his goal of a career in Business Analytics and Marketing. In his interview as a finalist, he said the Tools for Success course encouraged him to be proactive.
“Develop yourself, then develop others,” was among the lessons he took from the course, he said. Jai’lyn spoke about the effects of learning time management tools that taught him to plan one or two days ahead for his academic work rather than waiting until the last minute.
Jai’lyn’s strong involvement in extracurricular activities helped develop his skills in creating marketing materials. He created a brochure for the Pete Nance Boys and Girls Club that not only benefited the club but also served as a personal confidence booster. He credits his involvement in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) for boosting his leadership and advancing his graphic- design skills.
Academically, Jai’lyn finished in the top five in his class, and beginning this fall he will attend the University of Georgia.
Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamente is unique in not only being a Lawton Scholar but also one of the first REACH Georgia Scholars. She was named valedictorian of the GCHS Class of 2023, and her academic honors include being named to the All-A Honor Roll for four years. She was among the top five in her grade each year, a Rotary Student of the Month, and received UGA recognition, all while being a member of her high school’s cross-country and soccer teams, and captain of the track team.
Her strongest involvement, however, was with JROTC, in which she developed a paper drive, spoke at a Veteran’s Day event, and helped implement a Latinx festival. In Sherlyn’s time with JROTC, she rose through the ranks from cadet to group commander and credits her experience there, along with Tools for Success, with helping her learn to fully process information before making decisions.
She was able to use this to her advantage as she committed to attend Georgia College and State University, majoring in accounting with a minor in finance, and dreams of having her own accounting firm to help, in her words, “avoid failure within a person’s business.”
Among the top students in his graduating class, Ryan Evans has already earned a Technical College Certificate from Athens Technical College in Early College Essentials, a program that provides students the opportunity to earn college credit for up to six general education courses that are transferrable to any UGA institution. He was awarded the UGA Certificate of Merit for placing in the top five percent of his graduating class and also was named a Rotary Student of the Month.
Ryan’s career goal is to become a biomedical engineer and he looks forward to beginning his studies at UGA this fall.
Now in its eighth year, the Lawton Family Scholarship is flourishing. The Lawton family developed a partnership with ATLAS Ministry in 2014 to administer the scholarship. ATLAS Ministry serves families that are committed to setting their lives on a healthy and productive path. Through a carefully developed continuum, ATLAS instills both academic and Biblical literacy in students and provides a continuous connection with families and children.