Where are they now? Early Co. Growth Scholars

Waking Up Early is published weekly in the Early County News.

Since 2022 the Development Authority of Early County has awarded at least one Early County residing high school graduate with the annual Early Co. Growth Scholarship, which is made possible with funding from Silicon Ranch.

Faith Mills was the 2025 Growth Scholar and a 2025 graduate of Early County High School. She completed her freshman year at Augusta University as a student athlete with a 4.0. As a result of her dedication, the scholar was awarded the President’s List Certificate for Academic Excellence.

Within a recent update, Faith thanked the Development Authority of Early County. She said, “None of this would have been possible without you all. With your help, I was able to finish my freshman year completely debt free. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for all your organization has done and continues to do for students like me.”

Casey Jo Keith was the 2024 Growth Scholar and a 2024 Early County High School graduate.

Thanks to taking part in the dual enrollment program while at Early County High school, Casey Jo is over a semester ahead of her academic schedule at Kennesaw State University. She has been classified as a junior since the start of the spring 2026 semester. She has been accepted into the Wellstar School of Nursing at Kennesaw State and will officially start the nursing program this August.

In addition, she has completed and passed all pre-nursing and stem courses for the undergraduate program with consistently high grades. She also passed the TEAS exam, which allowed her to meet all of the requirements for the nursing program.

According to Casey Jo, the program admits only about 13% of applicants each semester—even when they qualify, The 2024 scholar also completed an entire year as a resident assistant (“RA”) in on-campus student housing. In that role, she learned several skills such as emergency management, event planning and a variety of leadership skills gained through managing freshmen college dormitories.

By the end of the 2025- 2026 term, Casey Jo was awarded with the following: “Southern Charm and Hospitality Award”, “Best Owl Chat” for wellness checks on residents and “Best Learning Event Award” as a result of her contributions during a CPR training event that hosted over 207 attendees. While enrolled in 16-credit hours each semester and working as an RA, Casey Jo worked as a nanny in the Buckhead area of Atlanta for multiple families – caring for children ages 3 months all the way up to 13 years.

“I truly enjoy caregiving— especially for children,” she said within her recent update to the Development Authority. “This line of work has given me so much insight and has inspired me to aim to work with children in a healthcare setting.”

The future healthcare professional looks forward to gaining experience this fall through clinical rotations in the metro Atlanta area, where she will work at facilities such as Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Kennestone Hospital and a variety of Wellstar Hospitals in the metro area. Casey Jo plans to work in the field of women and children’s health.

The purpose of the scholarship is to assist outstanding young adults who are planning to continue their education after high school and to foster future growth in Early County.

The total scholarship award is $4,500. The amount each recipient receives will depend on the number of winners, either one or two, selected by the Development Authority.

Applicants must reside in Early County and be a recent high school graduate enrolled in a post-secondary program for the 2026-2027 academic year. The student also must have intentions of returning to Early County upon completion of the post-secondary program.

Applications for the 2026 Early County Growth Scholarship are being accepted from now until Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. For application, please CLICK HERE or contact me at susanne.reynolds@earlycounty.org or (229) 366-1952. Applications can be picked up and returned/postmarked to the Chamber-Development Authority Office, Attn: Development Authority of Early County, 214 Court Square, Blakely, GA 39823.

Published in the Early County News on June 3, 2026.