Crosby Scholars Recognizes Class of 2023 with Senior Celebration

SALISBURY, NC - Crosby Scholars Rowan hosted an unforgettable Senior Celebration at the F&M Trolley Barn on Sunday, May 7, to recognize the incredible achievements of the Class of 2023. This year, the program proudly awarded 168 seniors from 7 high schools in the county with red, black, and white honors graduation cords. Additionally, twenty-nine scholarship recipients were recognized with combined awards totaling $47,500. 

From academic excellence to community service, these students have made an extraordinary impact on their communities and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. Overall, the Class of 2023 Crosby Scholars totaled over 9,182 hours of community service, an outstanding total that shows the students’ dedication to giving back to the community.

This year, 71 students achieved the honorable status of being named a “Gwin Barr All-Star.” The recognition is named after Barr, one of the founding Board members, who served as the Board chair for the first 9 years of the program. Seniors who are awarded this accomplishment joined Crosby Scholars in the sixth grade and have successfully completed all Crosby requirements through twelfth grade.

A highlight of the afternoon was guest speaker Israel Suarez’s message to the seniors. Suarez, a Crosby Scholar alum, shared a letter he wrote to his future self with steps to take to persevere and reach his goals in education to encourage the Class of 2023.

All alumni of the Crosby Scholars program are eligible to apply for Last Dollar Grant funding toward unmet financial need for up to four years of study.

Crosby Scholars, in its 10th year in Rowan County, is a free program for public middle and high school students. All sixth- through- tenth grade Rowan-Salisbury students are eligible to apply when open enrollment for the 2023-24 school year begins in August. 

The 2023 Crosby Scholars scholarship recipients are: