Pictured left to right are 2025 scholarship recipients Elliot Brannon, Zyann Saunders, Ven Brewer, and Colel McCormick.
Sandhills PRIDE, a support network and educational advocacy group dedicated to increasing awareness and acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) community in the Sandhills region, is pleased to announce the recipients of their 2025 Sandhills PRIDE Scholarship. Through 2024, Sandhills PRIDE has awarded $95,000 in scholarships to 27 extraordinarily talented high school students in our region. Bri Hersh, Chair of Sandhills PRIDE noted: “This year, we received our largest number of applications from truly amazing and talented students. Thanks to the unwavering support of our Sandhills Pride Scholarship Program advocates, we are proud to provide essential resources to our students who have the potential to shape a brighter future for our society. Our mission is to champion equality for the LGBTQ+ community and to create meaningful opportunities for everyone. We have increased our scholarship amounts this year, reflecting our commitment to empowering these promising individuals. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors for their generosity, which enables us to nurture the young leaders who will drive positive change in our community and beyond.”
The four awardees are high school seniors are Colel McCormick, Dalton Venson (Ven) Brewer and Zyann T. Sanders, and Emily (Eliot) Brannon who was awarded the $3,000 Oldham Family Scholarship. Scholarship applications are welcome from seniors from any of the schools encompassing the 8 counties in the Sandhills PRIDE region.
Our $6,000 ($3,000 for 2 years) scholarship recipient is Colel McCormick. Colel attends Overhills High School in Spring Lake, NC. Colel’s academic excellence and his community leadership are inspiring. They will be attending University of North Carolina at Wilmington, NC this coming fall.
Colel’s chosen name is Hispanic, African-American and Indigenous American. Their Indigenous ancestry originates from the Otomi of southern Mexico and the Cape Fear Band of the Tuscarora. The values and beliefs of his ancestral communities are based on a deep cultural significance and revered as two-spirited. This alliance with diverse expression of gender has helped shape Colel’s commitment to uniting diverse groups that celebrate, support, and serve the various voices in our community.
Colel has manifested that commitment to community in many ways. A summer learning program through the non-profit organization, LatinxEd, inspired Colel with experiences that helped affirm his passion for nurturing communities and providing opportunities for others to learn and grow in their own authentic way. They founded Overland High School’s Dimensions Clubs, an initiative devoted to learning from LGBTQ+, multicultural, and otherwise diverse voices.
Colel is the only student member of the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP) Board of Directors. NCSHP empowers and assists Hispanic students in furthering their education and careers. Colel has witnessed the profoundly positive impact that sharing their identity can have on their community.
Bridging communities with active participation in fundraising, community engagement and unifying discussions are all strengths they bring to those they encounter. Colel’s commitment is to continue to strengthen their impact on the LGBTQ+ community by their continued leadership.
Dalton Venson (Ven) Brewer has been awarded a $3,000 one year scholarship. As a student at North Moore High School he has shown academic excellence along with great achievement in theater design and performance. Ven won the North Carolina Theatre Conference Excellence in Scenic Design Award in both 2023 and 2024. He was awarded the International Thespian Society Award for Excellence in Scenic Design (International Level) in July of 2024. Ven will be attending University of North Carolina School for the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC beginning August 2025. Ven’s teachers applaud his intellectual capabilities, his willingness to take feedback, accept challenge and to bring leadership to his classroom and the theatre. He is noted to have the ability to lead while assuring that he is listening and involving his peers. Ven’s essay, entitled “Different”, describes growing up in rural North Carolina and thinking that something was not quite right with him. He described it as “Specifically, it was a feeling that something was wrong with being me.” It was the feeling of more than just not being like the popular kids, but not being ‘normal’. In middle school his peers made it clear that they did not like him, or perhaps they feared him or saw him as dangerous, because he “acted gay”. This was life in middle school.
Entering high school, one of his few friends asked him to come to the after-school theatre rehearsal and work as a technician on an upcoming musical. That decision seemed simple yet when he entered the auditorium doors he walked into his future. The roughly 30 students there that day were quickly lifelong friends. He had never known people like him existed and there they were in C.E. Hackney auditorium.
In Ven’s words: “The LGBTQ+ community is a beautiful thing, because no matter what we will always help each other.”
Zyann T. Saunders is another $3,000 one year scholarship recipient. Zyann attend Cumberland Polytechnic High School and achieved academic excellence with a strong focus in both the arts and sciences. Zyann will attend Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina this coming fall.
Zyann has been an active member of her school and her community. She was elected and served as Student Government Association (SGA) president in both her junior and senior years and received the North Carolina Association of Student Councils Hall of Fame Award in 2024. During that time she participated in district and state SGA district conferences. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Character, Education and Culture Club (CHEC), District C programs, Academically/Intellectually gifted program, Science Olympiad and All County Chorus. She leant her voice, literally, by singing at numerous programs over her high school years. Additionally, her volunteer work with her church, Rotary Club, Hope Mills Alms house and tutoring are noted.
Zyann attended NC Governor’s School. She states “Governor’s School reinforced the idea that being an ally is an ongoing process. It’s about continuous learning, self-reflection, and taking steps – big or small – to ensure that everyone, regardless of their identity or sexual orientation, feels safe and accepted.”
With a career focused on education, Zyann intends to focus on advocacy through workplace inclusivity, supporting diverse representation and encouraging policies that protect LGBTQ+ individuals.
Emily (Elliot) Brannon is the recipient of the Oldham Family Scholarship. Elliot, a student at North Moore High School, is graduating a year early and with an impressive academic record. He will attend Goucher College, Baltimore, MD this fall with a focus on Psychology.
Elliot has served as treasurer of the Art Club for two years and has been involved in production, fundraising, backstage management and technical direction in the North Moore High School Theatre Department. Other awards include 1st and 2nd District writing awards for the Daughters of American revolution. Elliot won 1st and 3rd place awards in the American Legion Oratorical Contest showing his skills in public speaking.
Elliot loved comics as a kid. It was one of the comics he read that opened his eyes to the transgender community and at age 11 he realized he might be transgender. Prior to Covid and with no real information sources Eliot was alone to figure out his path forward. Unsure how or if to talk to his parents and with in-person classes shut down, an on-line best friend from video games provided a non judgmental sounding board. The question of names came up and Elliot has been Elliot every since.
The start of high school brought a lot of challenges. During that time a friend introduced Elliott to the theatre department. As Elliot said, “Theatre is the closest thing North Moore has to a queer oriented club; everyone there is extremely supportive, and many members are openly queer. I had thought I was the only trans for miles, and there I was surrounded by people like me.” His references note that despite these obstacles, he has flourished carving out his own space in the school community.
Elliot’s goal is pursue a degree as a youth therapist. His intention is to provide resources and information where due to the lack of information to LGBtQ+ youth, he can be the resource for the next generation.
Sandhills PRIDE received a generous annual scholarship, the Oldham Family Scholarship. Charles Oldham, previous Chair of Sandhills PRIDE said. “The Oldham Family Scholarship is given in honor of three lifelong educators, and in recognition of their passion and commitment towards young people. Charles M. Oldham, Jr. spent his career as a business and economics instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College, and his wife Martha Cotter Oldham taught math at the high school and community college level, in addition to tutoring many other students over the years. Their sister and sister-in-law, Pamolu Ellen Oldham, taught English at FTCC and at Campbell University, and is also an endowed writer and visual artist. The Oldham family are proud to support Sandhills PRIDE in their mission to recognize and nurture talent in today’s youth, especially within the LGBTQ+ community.” We thank them for their dedication and generosity.
On May 16th Sandhills PRIDE hold it’s Scholarship Awards reception. Tickets for the reception are $50 for adults and $25 for youth under 18 and proceeds from all ticket sales are donated to support the Sandhills PRIDE Scholarship Fund. This years scholarship reception is at the Weymouth Center on May 16th from 6 to 8pm. For ticket and information use the link below.
We would like to give special thanks to the school counselors, teachers, coaches, and advocates who have helped these students achieve and apply for these Sandhills PRIDE annual scholarships
*This press release was sent out in spring of 2025.
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