USCBe Informed: News & Happenings

New Scholarship Honors Late Student JonPaul Gonzalez

The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) announces a new scholarship to honor beloved former student JonPaul Gonzalez (JP), who tragically passed away in a car accident during his first semester at the university. The JonPaul Gonzalez Endowed Scholarship Fund has been established to remember his legacy and uphold his spirit within the university community.

The Gonzalez family created this scholarship to benefit other students who share similarities with JP and to keep his name alive. Initially unsure whether he wanted to go to college, JP found a sense of belonging at USCB, immersing himself in campus life by engaging in intramural basketball and soccer, participating in various campus events, living on the Bluffton campus, and building connections with an array of friends from diverse backgrounds.

"JP was one of those kids who did fine in high school but wasn't overly enthusiastic about academics,” said his mother, Christina Galbreath-Gonzalez. "Then he came to USCB and loved it here. It was such a positive experience for him."

Bluffton native JonPaul, 19, was one of three people killed in the two-car accident in Jasper County on Dec. 4, 2021. His girlfriend and fellow USCB student Madison Klepesky, 18, and the driver of the other car also died in the accident.

With an endowment of $25,000, the fund will generate one $1,200 scholarship per year in perpetuity.  Preference will be given to applicants from Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton or Colleton counties. The selection criteria also include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and community service and/or sports involvement.

The Gonzalez family has close ties with USCB. Christina is an alumna who graduated with a B.S. in Hospitality Management in 2006. Alayne Lawson — JP’s aunt and Christina’s sister— is an instructor and the teacher cadet coordinator in the Education department.

"The tragedy forced me to reevaluate my own life and steered me to USCB,” Lawson said. “Being here, I feel a strong sense of purpose, something I lost when JP died.”

The family’s initiatives to honor JP extend beyond this endowed scholarship. Christina and Pablo also donated to USCB's mental health services, highlighting the importance of emotional support for students, as experienced by JP's younger brother, Brandon, along with his friends and classmates. Brandon was a dual enrollment student from Bluffton High School who was taking classes with JonPaul at USCB when the tragedy happened.

JP’s legacy has inspired other acts of community outreach. The summer before he enrolled at USCB, he joined friends on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where they helped build houses for families in need through the non-profit Casas for Cristo. After his passing, his parents and brother returned to the country, donated to the organization to fund the construction of two homes in his name, and participated in a home build.

The family also created a scholarship for players and equipment at Tormenta FC Academy, the local league where JP played soccer for more than a decade and made contributions to Hilton Head Plantation’s summer camp, where he worked as a camp counselor for three summers.

"JP made being kind cool," one of his high school teachers said, illuminating the impact he had on others. "He was just that guy who was easy to get to know and was friends with everyone."

JP's legacy lives on, not only in the warm memories of those who knew him but through the tangible impacts of the scholarship and charitable acts that he inspired.

The USCB donor scholarship application is open from January 1- March 1 for current and incoming USCB students. Apply here.