Sequoyah Senior Kimberly Strickland Earns $5,000 Waste Management Scholarship for UGA

Kimberly Strickland has spent her high school years leading a marching band, competing on horseback, and mucking stalls before school. This spring, that combination of discipline and drive paid off: the Sequoyah High School senior has been named the 2026 recipient of the Waste Management/Pine Bluff Landfill Scholarship, earning $5,000 toward her studies at the University of Georgia, where she plans to pursue a degree in animal science.

Now in its 19th year, the scholarship represents one of Cherokee County's longest-running corporate-community education partnerships. Each year, Waste Management and Pine Bluff Landfill team up with the Cherokee County School District to award the scholarship to a graduating senior from a designated CCSD high school, the school rotates annually, with Sequoyah selected for the Class of 2026. Any graduating senior from the designated school may apply; a review committee drawn from the community, Waste Management, and CCSD then scores candidates on academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and community service. Over nearly two decades, the program has quietly funneled meaningful financial support to students across the district, one graduating class at a time.

Strickland made a compelling case on every front the committee evaluates. A six-year competitive equestrian, she has captured championships in elite show jumping and works part-time at a local stable where she is responsible for the care of 20 horses, hands-on experience that maps directly onto the animal science curriculum she'll encounter at UGA. For a student planning to work in veterinary or agricultural science, that kind of real-world grounding before college is rare.

Her record inside the school building is just as striking. Strickland has played in band for seven years, accumulating a list of leadership roles and honors that most student musicians never approach: marching band drum major, first chair flutist in wind ensemble, principal in symphony orchestra, and winter guard captain. She has been selected for All-State Band, Reinhardt University Honor Band, and District 9 Honor Band, regional distinctions that reflect both individual talent and the competitive depth of Cherokee County's music programs.

Academically, Strickland holds memberships in Beta Club and National Honor Society and serves as editor of the school magazine. Her honors include the Superintendent's Key Scholar designation, the Georgia Certificate of Merit, and AP Scholar with Merit. She also volunteers for Holiday Lights of Hope, a community service initiative, rounding out a profile that checks every box the scholarship committee is looking for, and then some.

For Cherokee County families, the Waste Management/Pine Bluff Landfill Scholarship is a reminder that local business partnerships can produce tangible, lasting results for students. Nineteen years in, this one clearly still does.