The impact of the South Carolina Education Lottery reaches far beyond the numbers on a ticket — it’s helping shape the future of education across the state.
Just ask Caleb Brown and Montrel Coles, two South Carolina teachers whose journeys were supported in part by lottery-funded LIFE scholarships. Today, they’re paying that opportunity forward in classrooms where representation, mentorship, and community matter most.
Brown now teaches at Riverside High School, bringing his passion for learning back to the community that helped shape him. For Coles, a teacher at Carvers Bay Middle School, the scholarship opened the door to the Call Me MISTER program, which focuses on recruiting and retaining male teachers, especially in underserved areas.
Coles says seeing educators who looked like him made a lasting difference, and he’s proud to now be that example for his students. Together, their stories highlight how lottery-funded scholarships don’t just support higher education — they strengthen South Carolina’s schools from the inside out.
Learn more about education wins and the lottery’s impact on education.
