Student Success
College Announces 2022-23 Scott Scholars
RALEIGH, N.C. (October 7, 2022) - Wake Tech Community College is pleased to announce the Scott Scholars for the 2022-23 academic year, Taj Hewitt and Andrew Orlikoff. These deserving students will receive up to $5,000 to cover tuition, fees and books – along with a laptop, a summer internship placement, a mentor from senior administration and opportunities to participate in special projects and events. The merit-based Scott Scholarship is Wake Tech's most prestigious and sought-after honor, designed to provide leadership development opportunities for outstanding students in associate degree programs.
Hewitt is a 19-year-old student from Jamaica, where he ranked at the top of his high school class. He served as basketball team captain and volunteered to help with trash cleanup along Montego Bay. Now living in Raleigh, Hewitt is pursuing his Associate in Science degree at Wake Tech, where he serves as a member of the Student Government Association and participated in the college's STEM Academic Research and Training program (START). He continues to volunteer, helping weekly at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's Camden Street Learning Garden in downtown Raleigh, which helps community members grow food for their families.
Hewitt says he is proud to be a Scott Scholar: "I see this opportunity as a way to inspire people around me and manifest success for as many people as possible. Setting a good example for others is the first step in creating success for the entire community."
Twenty-five-year-old Orlikoff is also interested in leadership. "Being a Scott Scholar will give me the opportunity to interact with other leaders," he says. "I want to learn how they tackle and overcome problems."
Orlikoff, who is pursuing an Associate in Applied Sciences degree in Radiography, hopes to become someone his fellow classmates and future colleagues can look to for guidance. He recently experienced the importance of leadership firsthand as a guide on a whitewater rafting trip, when he had to make split-second decisions to help someone in need of first aid. "Flexibility, humility, collaboration and a little bit of humor are paramount in dealing with any obstacles," he says. Like his fellow Scott Scholar, Orlikoff is committed to volunteering. He regularly helps a local group hand out meals, toiletries and clothing to those less fortunate in downtown Raleigh.
"We are so proud of our students and fascinated by their unique stories," says Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. "Taj and Andrew are wonderful examples of how students can dream big, expand their skill sets and accomplish impressive goals while serving others. They're very deserving of this honor."
The Scott Scholars program is named in honor of Wake Tech's third president, Stephen C. Scott, who retired in 2018 after 15 years at the helm of the state's largest community college. The award was established in 2012 with a $25,000 endowment from Wake Tech alumni Mark and Rachel Selisker. The program's goal is to raise $1 million to support four Scott Scholars each academic year.
