Written by: Maggie McLean
For one South Carolina family, receiving a South Carolina State Fair scholarship has become a full-circle moment nearly three decades in the making.
Since 1997, the South Carolina State Fair’s Ride of Your Life Scholarship program has helped South Carolina students pursue higher education in their home state. The program awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to attend a public or private college, university or technical college in South Carolina. Recipients are selected based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, financial need and completion of the application. Since the program began, the South Carolina State Fair has awarded nearly $6.5 million in scholarships to students across the state.
In 1997, Joey Jutzeler was among those students.
After graduating from St. Andrew’s High School in Charleston, he received a South Carolina State Fair scholarship and went on to attend Clemson University. The scholarship helped lessen the cost of college and reduced his family’s need to rely on loans for tuition and other expenses.
One memory that still stands out to him is seeing the scholarship recipients recognized in a full-page feature in The State newspaper, complete with their photos.
Nearly 30 years later, that scholarship has taken on even greater meaning for his family.
This year, his son, Will Jutzeler, became a 2026 South Carolina State Fair scholarship recipient.
Will graduated from Ashley Ridge High School and, like his dad, now attends Clemson University. When Will began the scholarship application process, his dad told him that he had received the same scholarship in 1997. He even joked that he would always have “one-up” on Will if he didn’t receive it too.
Will was excited when he learned he had been selected, and his father was equally proud to see his son receive an honor that had played an important role in his own college experience 29 years earlier.
For father and son, receiving the same scholarship represents more than financial assistance. It has given them a special connection to each other and to the South Carolina State Fair.
“It’s especially meaningful to share this with him because I feel that both of us receiving the scholarship reflects how the State Fair has positively impacted generations of South Carolinians,” Will said.
For Joey Jutzeler, watching his son follow a similar path has brought the experience full circle. The scholarship helped him attend Clemson, and now it is helping Will pursue his own education at the same university.
The South Carolina State Fair has remained a special part of their family over the years. Some of Will’s favorite fair memories involve trying different foods with his dad. Beyond those memories, the family also appreciates the South Carolina State Fair’s commitment to education and its outreach to communities across the state.
Both father and son encourage other students to apply for the scholarship. Will appreciates that the program recognizes students for accomplishments in multiple areas, while his dad encourages well-rounded students who plan to attend a South Carolina college and hope to make a difference in their communities to take the time to apply.
Calling All Scholarship Recipients
Will Jutzeler and his father, Joey Jutzeler, are just two of the many students who have been supported by the South Carolina State Fair’s Ride of Your Life Scholarship program over the years. This year, we want to bring those generations of recipients together for the first Scholars Day at the South Carolina State Fair on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.
If you received a South Carolina State Fair scholarship between 1997 and 2026, we invite you to come back to the fair and celebrate with us on Scholars Day. Past and current scholarship recipients are eligible to receive two admission tickets to attend the fair and be part of the celebration.
To receive your two admission tickets and learn more about Scholars Day, contact Betsy Cooper at 803-799-3387 or BetsyC@scstatefair.org.
Twenty-nine years, two Clemson students and one shared scholarship later, the Jutzeler family’s story is a special example of how the South Carolina State Fair’s investment in education can make an impact from one generation to the next.