Four Peach County High School students enrolled in Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) for the fall 2019 semester will head into their studies with scholarships from the Fort Valley branch of SunMark Community Bank.

Roman Galan, Elisa Rodriguez, Austin James Smith and Malik Taylor all received the Claybon J. Edwards Memorial Scholarship presented in May by Mike Jackson, commercial loan officer, and Andrew Taunton, commercial lender, on behalf of SunMark. SunMark worked with the CGTC Foundation to establish the Claybon J. Edwards Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2016.

The scholarship honors Edwards, a former member of the bank’s advisory board as well as an outstanding community leader in Peach County and middle Georgia.

“We are so excited to be stewards of the Claybon J. Edwards Memorial Scholarship,” said Andrew Taunton, SunMark Community Bank Commercial Lender, Fort Valley Branch. “We who worked alongside Mr. Edwards know that supporting the continued education of Peach County’s youth is the legacy he wanted to leave. We hope that the scholarship fund can continue to thrive so that it may help many more students and ultimately our entire community”

The CGTC Foundation facilitates the award of scholarships from the fund to graduates of Peach County schools to assist with the educational costs for attending CGTC.

“We are pleased that these deserving students from Peach County have decided to continue their education at CGTC,” said Carmen Davis, advancement specialist for the CGTC Foundation. “The generosity of donors and commitment to technical education by SunMark has and will continue to make a positive impact for youth in Peach County for years to come.”

Austin James Smith and Malik Taylor recently visited the SunMark location to meet with representatives of the College’s Foundation and the bank.  

Both students expressed their gratitude for the scholarship and are ready to begin the fall semester.

Austin intends to study Computer Programming, and Malik began coursework this summer in the Aerospace, Trade, and Industry Division.