The South Carolina State Fair has announced the 2025 recipients of its annual Ride of Your Life Scholarship program. This year, 53 high school seniors across South Carolina have been chosen to receive prestigious $10,000 scholarships — totaling $530,000 in scholarships. Find a complete list of scholarship recipients here.
Thanks to a generous $37,000 donation from Circle K and EMC Tickets, the S.C. State Fair was able to award an additional three scholarships, increasing the total from 50 to 53. One of the 53 scholarships was exclusively designated for a Circle K employee or dependent.
“Our scholarship program is all about planting seeds — investing in students now so they can grow into the leaders, innovators and community builders of tomorrow,” said Nancy Smith, general manager of the South Carolina State Fair. “It’s one of the most meaningful ways we contribute to the future of our state.”
Each year, the South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, awards scholarships to South Carolina high school students planning to pursue their studies at any public or private college, university or technical college in the state of South Carolina. These $10,000 scholarships are awarded at an annual rate of $2,500 and are based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, need and completeness of the application.
This year, applicants were asked to write an essay responding to the thought-provoking question, “What does harvesting happiness mean to you, and how do you cultivate it in your life?”
“Reading this year’s essays felt a lot like walking the fairgrounds — full of real stories, big dreams and heartfelt moments,” Smith said. “These students reminded us that happiness doesn’t have to be loud or flashy — sometimes it’s as simple as showing kindness or overcoming a challenge.”
The S.C. State Fair has a long history of supporting education, and the Ride of Your Life Scholarship program is just one of the many ways in which the organization gives back to the community. Since the program’s inception in 1997, the S.C. State Fair has awarded almost $6 million in scholarships.
This year’s recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants from across the state, representing all seven of South Carolina’s congressional districts. The scholarship funds must be used at a South Carolina university, college or institution and may cover tuition or other educational expenses such as on-campus housing, a computer or textbooks. Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year to receive funding for that year.