High school seniors receive foundation scholarships

Apr. 23—When North Murray High School senior Cole Talley applied for a scholarship from the Georgia United Foundation, he was confident, but didn't think he would receive much if chosen.

"I was just hoping for anything, so when the email came through and I saw I had won $1,250, all I could say was 'Whoa,'" Talley said.

Talley was one of 12 high school seniors from across Georgia — including Northwest Whitfield High School's Rafael Pacheco-Quijano — who were announced on April 15 as winners of the Georgia United Foundation's 30th annual scholarship competition. There were 130 student applicants this year.

To apply, seniors had to send a one-minute video to the foundation, which serves as the philanthropic arm of the Georgia United Credit Union, detailing their plans for higher education and how they look to positively impact the community.

Talley, a recipient of the Polly Hinde Scholarship, named after a founding board member of the credit union, said his goals post-high school are clear.

"I want to obtain an applied science degree in mortuary science and funeral service," Talley said.

"Grateful"

For the past two years, Talley has worked at Peeples Funeral Home and Crematory in Chatsworth while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average and holding several positions in North Murray High clubs and organizations, including as the president of the school's National Honor Society chapter, a member of the student council and a leader of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

For his application, Talley enlisted the services of his younger brother Brady, an audio/video student at North Murray, to help him film his submission. Once the video was uploaded to the foundation's website as a winning recipient, Talley said he was "just really excited."

"I'm very grateful to have (this scholarship), because it will help a lot for my schooling," he said.

Talley will use the scholarship to attend Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama, which Talley said "has a great mortuary science program."

"I've already been accepted and registered for classes," Talley said. "It's an online program, which is cool because I can still work here and do my apprenticeship through the funeral home and then do classes online in my free time."

Talley said he first knew he wanted to work in the funeral service industry when his longtime friend Joe Hogan, an apprentice at Peeples, asked him if he wanted to go on a call and help out at the funeral home.

"It really wasn't on my mind until I started doing more and more, and I started just seeing how much the community and families were impacted by the work that (Peeples) does and by funeral homes in general," Talley said. "Because it's a necessity that we're all going to need. It's a great way to help people and that's something I strive to do every day. Just help as many people as I can."

A passion for helping others

Talley said he started out at the funeral home by "washing cars and putting up tents" before he was allowed to "go through the entire funeral process."

"I just want to try to give as many people peace in the worst times of their life, because I feel like that's something I'm truly passionate about," he said. "I like making people feel good and giving them peace or helping them have hope."

Hogan said Talley is an "exceptional young man" and an asset to the funeral home.

"He's mature beyond his years and he does well here," Hogan said. "He works well with families and he's incredible when it comes to being empathetic. He's always willing to learn and try something new. We greatly appreciate having him here on staff for sure."

Hogan said he was "not shocked at all" when he heard Talley had been awarded the scholarship.

"He works hard at everything he does," Hogan said. "I have no doubt that he's going to do well there at Jefferson State and I have no doubt he's going to continue to do well here and further his career."

Being a "good role model"

Pacheco-Quijano, who has attended Northwest Whitfield High for all four years, is a recipient of the Geraldine Tilson Scholarship, named after a longtime credit union board member. That scholarship also is for $1,250.

In his video submission, Pacheco-Quijano said he wanted to use the potential scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), where he plans to major in nursing.

Pacheco-Quijano is also heavily involved in high school organizations, including Northwest Whitfield High's Beta Club, National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society chapters, Diverse Council, Key Club and Future Business Leaders of America.

Pacheco-Quijano volunteers regularly at the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia and tries his best "to be a good role model," he said.

He said he has an interest in the field of nursing because he "really wants to help people and benefit the community."

"I also have a couple of family members that went into nursing and enjoyed it," he said. "I really just want to play a larger role in my community that will benefit both me and my family, and just make my family proud."

When Pacheco-Quijano found out from a friend that he had won the $1,250 scholarship last week, he said he was "shocked."

"I'm really excited," he said. "Just having the opportunity to win something that could benefit me in my education is a big accomplishment."

"A servant's heart"

Pacheco-Quijano said he chose UTC because of its close proximity.

"My parents wanted me to stay close to home and UTC is really close," he said. "I've already applied and gotten accepted."

He said working toward a degree in nursing will ultimately help him to "be stable and accomplish my goals."

Matt Smith, Pacheco-Quijano's social studies teacher at Northwest Whitfield High, said receiving the scholarship is a "great honor."

"He's a very bright young man and a hard-working student," Smith said. "He goes above and beyond with his work, takes pride in excellence, and has good communication skills. I'm not shocked at all because I think he's a fine young man. In four or five years, I have no doubt he will be in the nursing field, doing well and accomplishing his goals."

Pacheco-Quijano's language arts teacher Ryan Reece, who also teaches dual enrollment classes at Dalton State College, said Pacheco-Quijano "works hard" at everything he does.

"I've known him for just this year in the classroom, but I've known his reputation for a while," Reece said. "He's a sweet-hearted young man, very unassuming and a gentleman's gentleman. He has a servant's heart; I see that every day in the small things that he does for others."

Reece said he wasn't surprised to hear of Pacheco-Quijano's achievement.

"He's very empathetic to others," he said. "I think his humility is going to serve him very well as he moves forward in the nursing field. It wouldn't surprise me at all that he moves up the ranks and is directing a nursing program at some point or if he's the leader of a unit and impacting the community."

Northwest Whitfield High School Principal Mandie Jones said the empathy Pacheco-Quijano possesses can sometimes be "hard to find in high school students."

"We're excited to have a student who has accomplished such great things," she said. "Everything that I have heard from him and every teacher that I've spoken with, they all say the same thing. He's quiet, but he's contemplative. He's soft-spoken, but he's driven. I'm proud that he wants to give back to our community and that he wants to move forward with helping others."