Beaufort County Community College students Jaydan Roberson and Hailey Spain have each been awarded the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation People Helping People Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship, distributed over two years, is funded through monthly contributions from SECU’s 2.9 million members.
Deborah Waters, senior financial services officer at SECU’s Washington branch, presented the awards to the students. “The members of State Employees Credit Union take an active role in assisting organizations and communities across North Carolina, and truly believe in people helping people,” Waters said.
Jaydan Roberson, an Associate in Arts student pursuing psychology, has built a record of leadership through school, faith and community service. She served as a camp counselor at Roanoke Christian Camp in the summer of 2025, has been involved in 4-H for 10 years and has volunteered with her church’s youth ministry for five years. Roberson also helped lead the Student Government Association’s food drive and period poverty drive and has volunteered with her school’s BETA and Honors Society for four years.
After Beaufort CCC, she plans to attend East Carolina University to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, followed by law school, with a goal of working as a criminal prosecutor.
Hailey Spain, an Associate Degree Nursing student, has built a background in leadership and health care service. From 2016 to 2019, she served as a student ambassador at Pitt County Schools Early College High School, where she organized student events, mentored incoming freshmen and led campus tours. Spain volunteered with the Vidant Volunteen program from 2016 to 2018 and was named Volunteen of the Year in 2018. She returned in 2023 as an adult volunteer with ECU Health and in 2025 volunteered with Physicians East at the Watermelon Festival, educating the community on colon cancer awareness. Spain is also active at her church, Sweet Gum Grove, and has volunteered with NC PACKS 4 Patriots and the Pitt County Food Bank.
After Beaufort CCC, she plans to become a registered nurse and pursue a long-term career with ECU Health, with an interest in outpatient care and gastroenterology.
The SECU Foundation awards 116 scholarships to North Carolina community college students each year, representing a commitment of $580,000. Scholarships recognize students who exemplify the credit union’s philosophy of “People Helping People” through leadership, character, integrity and community service. Students are connected to the scholarship through the Beaufort County Community College Foundation.