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The Golden LEAF Foundation has announced that 215 rural North Carolina students were selected to receive up to a $14,000 Golden LEAF Scholarship, including Caden Edwards from West Stanly High School.

He plans to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

High school seniors entering college as first year students are eligible for a $3,500 scholarship each year for up to four years of undergraduate study at a participating four-year North Carolina college or university. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,500 a year for up to three years of undergraduate study.

Recipients from rural, tobacco-dependent or economically distressed North Carolina counties are selected based on career and educational goals, a review of school and community service activities, academic performance, length of residence in the county and expressed intent to contribute to the state’s rural communities upon graduation from college.

The Golden LEAF Foundation established the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program to broaden educational opportunities and provide support to students from rural counties with the goal that after graduation recipients will return and contribute back to rural communities.

The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) administers the program and selects students for awards.