For a group of North Carolina middle schoolers, that experience came to life at Reynolds Coliseum, the same court where they spent time last summer practicing and playing alongside the Wolfpack women’s basketball team.

On Dec. 7, these sports camp scholarship winners — selected by North Carolina’s electric cooperatives to attend the NC State women’s basketball camp this past summer — came together for a reunion and a moment of recognition.

“My daughter’s experience at the NC State women’s basketball camp was amazing,” said Amy Augustine, parent of a 2025 camp scholarship winner. “It really opened her eyes to what life after high school could be and gave her an even bigger goal to reach for.”

For 23 years, North Carolina’s 26 not-for-profit electric cooperatives have awarded scholarships to young women to attend the Wolfpack women’s basketball camp. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives also partner with the UNC men’s basketball team to send middle school students to their annual Carolina Basketball School each summer.

“We are very grateful that our local electric co-op provides an experience like this for kids in our area, especially for girls. It is very hard to find basketball camps here,” Augustine said. “Camps like this help build skills and show our kids that if they work hard, they can continue to grow.”