The Culpeper Branch of the NAACP recently awarded three $1,000 scholarships to 2026 graduates of area high schools. Scholarships were awarded to students in all three of the counties served by the branch: Culpeper, Madison, and Rappahannock.
Jayzmin Smith of Culpeper was awarded the Annie Laura Payne Lovell Memorial Scholarship, named for an educator who taught in the Culpeper County Schools for more than 40 years. Smith is a 2026 graduate of Eastern View High School. She plans to attend Union Commonwealth University in Kentucky and then pursue a law degree.
Samarion Turner of Madison was awarded the branch’s Sadie Ward Crowder Memorial Scholarship. Crowder taught in Madison County for 47 years, beginning in a one-room schoolhouse and ultimately becoming one of the first Black educators to teach in the county’s integrated elementary school. Turner is a 2026 graduate of Madison County High School and plans to attend Liberty University.
Shawne Christian of Amissville, a 2026 graduate of Rappahannock High School, is the recipient of the Austin-Green-Williams Memorial Scholarship, named for three prominent Black educators in Rappahannock County. Christian plans to attend Laurel Ridge Community College followed by George Mason University.
Read more, including quotes from the scholarship judges, in our press release: NAACP Culpeper Awards Three Scholarships – 2026
Top photo: NAACP Culpeper Executive Committee member Rev. Dr. Adrian Sledge presents the Austin-Green-Williams Memorial Scholarship to Shawne Christian of Amissville.
Bottom photo: NAACP Culpeper Vice President Jason Ford presents the Annie Laura Payne Lovell Memorial Scholarship to Jayzmin Smith of Culpeper.
