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ECHS Graduate Opens State Farm Agency

Early College High School Graduate Opens State Farm Agency

Jamesha Gore, a first-generation college graduate, opens agency in North Myrtle Beach

Jamesha Gore(North Myrtle Beach, SC) Dec 10, 2018 - Jamesha Gore-Coggin, a first-generation college graduate and a member of the first Early College High School class, has opened her own State Farm Agency in North Myrtle Beach. Gore’s milestone achievement is a story of perseverance, talent, and fate.

Early College High School (ECHS) was established in 2006 to provide a personalized education option for exceptional students who are typically underrepresented in post-secondary education. Leaders from Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC), Horry County Schools, and the local business community saw the need for removing barriers to education for these students and took the initiative to establish the high school. 

Located on HGTC’s Conway campus, the ECHS program is designed so students can earn two years of college credit while they are earning a high school diploma. Many, like Jamesha Gore, graduate high school with an Associate’s Degree. Gore-Coggin graduated high school in 2010 with an Associate in Arts Degree from HGTC and transferred to the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts – Finance Degree in just two years. 

State Farm EmployeesFor most of her college career, Gore-Coggin’s career goals were aimed towards a banking career, until a fateful meeting at former United States Secretary of Education and former South Carolina governor Richard Riley’s birthday party. 

For his 80th birthday, Riley wanted to celebrate the first graduating class of Early College High School at his law firm, Nelson, Mullins, and Riley. Marsha Griffin, Executive Director of the Horry County K-12 Foundation, happily arranged for graduates to attend and speak at the party. Jamesha was one of these graduates, and she left quite an impression on party attendees – one, in particular. 

Bobby Kelly, owner of Bobby Kelly State Farm Insurance, was so moved by Jamesha’s story that he approached her after the program and invited her to join the State Farm Aspirant program. Gore became a State Farm Aspirant in 2013, and the rest is history. She recently passed a rigorous application and interview process with State Farm and accepted an offer to open her own agency in North Myrtle Beach. 

Jamesh Gore“Jamesha is the result of the perfect formula,” said Griffin. “We have a fantastic partnership among three incredible entities, one exceptionally smart first-generation college student, and a Blue Ribbon Early College High School equipped with caring staff and a supporting community, and we produce graduates that are trailblazers in our community.” 

“Everyone at the Horry County K-12 Foundation is beaming with pride and we’re excited to watch Jamesha, and her fellow ECHS graduates, continue to thrive.”

The Jamesha Gore-Coggin State Farm Agency is located at 442 Main Street in North Myrtle Beach.

About the Horry County K-12 Foundation

Horry County K-12 Foundation, doing business as BE2, Business Education Expectations, is a 501(c), and in collaboration with the Horry County School District and Horry-Georgetown Technical College subscribed to the following:

  • Inspiration of middle quartile, first-generation college students to strive for academic excellence and to complete a degree in higher education
  • Help for parents and educators to understand the ever-changing demands of the work world for better academic preparation
  • To involve employers in creating meaningful learning experiences for students and educators
  • Brokering and negotiating BE2 Scholarships provided by the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University and Francis Marion University
  • Provide Mentors, speakers, field trips, business internships, enrichment workshops, college tours, books vouchers, extracurricular orientation fees etc.

To contribute to the Horry County K-12 Foundation and support scholarships for students like Jamesha Gore, contact Marsha Griffin, Executive Director, at 843-457-8774 or mgriffin@sccoast.net.