HUGHESVILLE — SMECO has awarded $2,500 college scholarships to four high school seniors who live in the cooperative’s service area in Southern Maryland.
The recipients were selected based on scholastic achievement, financial need and involvement in school and community activities. Since the program began in 1993, SMECO has awarded scholarships to 136 students.
Abrielle Cook, a graduate of Chopticon High School in St. Mary’s County, plans to attend Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to study secondary education with a concentration in mathematics. She received the Minds in Motion Athletic Award and the Academic All-American Award. Cook is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. She volunteered at the Children’s Christmas Event at the Mechanicsville Moose Lodge and at the Charles County Animal Care Center. She interned at Leonardtown Middle School to help teach mathematics and taught at youth basketball and volleyball camps at Chopticon. Cook also received a $1,500 scholarship from the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives and its Education Scholarship Foundation. She is the child of Joseph and Julie Cook of Mechanicsville.
Madison Freytag, a graduate of Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County, plans to study bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She placed on the honor roll for all four years and received the Academic Excellence Award for the top score on the Advanced Placement biology exam. Great Mills named her the Hornet of the Month. Freytag served as stage manager and rehearsal director for Lighthouse Productions at the school and volunteered in theater programs at Dowell Elementary School. She tutors students in science and math who speak English as a second language and has studied American Sign Language. She is the child of Melissa Freytag of Lexington Park.
Jayla Harris, a graduate of St. Charles High School in Charles County, will attend Tuskegee University in Alabama to study animal science with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. She placed on the Principal’s Honor Roll and received the Minds in Motion School Athlete Award. Harris was inducted into the International Thespian Society through the school’s performing arts program. She participated in the High School Envirothon for two years and served as vice president of marketing and media for her senior class. In the community, she volunteered with the Butterflies Mentoring Club as a camp counselor and provided guidance to young girls. She also assisted the Charles County Humane Society. Harris is the child of Essence Harris of Waldorf.
James Smith, a graduate of Thomas Stone High School in Charles County, plans to study computer science at the University of Maryland with a focus on cybersecurity. He received the Principal’s Honor Roll, AP Scholar with Distinction, Academic Excellence Award and Academic Pin. Through the Dual Enrollment program, he placed on the Dean’s List at the College of Southern Maryland. Smith served as graduation marshal for the class of 2025. He completed a cybersecurity and defense internship at Georgetown University during its residential summer program, assisting a non-profit organization with a start-up security plan. He is the child of Janice Benjamin of Waldorf.
In addition to the four SMECO recipients, five other students from the cooperative’s service area received scholarships from the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives and its Education Scholarship Foundation. The foundation awarded $165,000 in college scholarships to high school students for the 2026–27 school year.
The additional recipients are London Brehon, a $2,500 recipient and graduate of La Plata High School; Lia Durham, a $2,000 recipient and graduate of Northern High School; Rondy Le, a $1,500 recipient and graduate of Huntingtown High School; Malanie Stith, a $1,500 recipient and graduate of Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Middle/High School; and Nya Whitney, a $1,500 recipient and graduate of Maurice J. McDonough High School.
SMECO is a member-owned electric cooperative that serves Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and parts of Prince George’s counties. The scholarship program supports students pursuing higher education in the region.
