Institute for Families in Society

Child Mental Health Research Integrated Health and Policy Research
  • Smith Scholarship

Be A Champion for Youth and Families!

The Michael Daniel Smith and Alexander Tyler Smith Scholarship is funded by an endowment created by Mr. Robert L. Thomas and awarded to the University of South Carolina in memory of the boys, who died under tragic circumstances. Each year, the Institute for Families in Society is pleased to offer one scholarship ($1500-$2000, depending on available funds) to a full-time undergraduate student from the UofSC Columbia campus who shows outstanding promise to become a helping professional for children and families in need. To be eligible, students must be a junior in standing, and majoring in either Psychology, Social Work, Nursing, or Public Health. The scholarship funds will be awarded during the student’s senior year.

2020 Smith Scholarship Recipient

Jared D. Dawson

 

Jared (JD) Dawson is a senior Public Health major and native South Carolinian. His time at the University of South Carolina has afforded him a number of opportunities that have shaped his perspective of the world and given him directionality toward a career in service. These experiences include volunteering as a translator at a free clinic, studying International Business in Japan, interning at a community hospital in Washington DC, and serving on a medical mission trip in Costa Rica. JD's clinical experiences have demonstrated to him the unique health challenges experienced by underserved families and communities of color across the world, driving his desire to become a Family Medicine physician in South Carolina.

Please join us in congratulating him on this award.

NOTE: No longer accepting applications for 2021.