Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Lower Richland County is increasing its investment in Richland One schools for the upcoming 2026-2027 year. On Monday, May 4, Candice Simons-Cash, Westinghouse’s Community Liaison, and a graduate of Lower Richland High School, presented an $80,000 contribution to Richland School District One officials. This donation will be divided among seven schools and the Electric Hornets, the Lower Richland High School robotics team. This ongoing partnership has proven to be impactful as seen in the work of the students on the robotics team, who will demonstrate their project funded by a previous Westinghouse donation, at the press conference and in the workforce pipeline the partnership creates for future Westinghouse employees.
The Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility on Bluff Road produces nuclear fuel and components powering 10% of the electricity in the United States and employs 1,200 local residents.
Voorhees University students earn Top Honors in 2026 HBCU Oratorical Challenge
Voorhees University is proud to announce that two of its students, Prince Osei and Rose Darensberg, have been recognized as top honorees in the 2026 HBCU Oratorical Challenge, a national virtual competition held on April 18, 2026, and hosted by the DreamHouse Foundation. The competition brought together students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country to demonstrate excellence in public speaking, critical thinking, and creative expression.
Prince Osei — 1st Place, Prepared Public Speaking
Prince Osei, a freshman at Voorhees University, claimed first place in the Prepared Public Speaking category, earning a $1,000 cash prize. Osei delivered a compelling and polished presentation that demonstrated exceptional clarity, confidence, and command of the subject matter. His performance exemplified the highest standard of prepared oratory and reflects the strong academic foundation Voorhees University provides its students.
Rose Darensberg — 1st Place, Extemporaneous Public Speaking
Rose Darensberg, a doctoral education student at Voorhees University, earned first place in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking category, also receiving a $1,000 cash prize. Darensberg showcased remarkable poise and intellectual agility, delivering a thoughtful and wellstructured response under time constraints. Her performance reflected a mastery of extemporaneous speaking and demonstrated the depth of scholarship cultivated within Voorhees University’s gradu-
ate programs.
“We are incredibly proud of Prince and Rose for their outstanding achievements at the 2026 HBCU Oratorical Challenge. Their success is a testament to the excellence, dedication, and intellectual strength that define the Voorhees University community. They have represented our
institution with distinction, and we celebrate their remarkable accomplishments,” Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, Voorhees President & CEO.
The HBCU Oratorical Challenge, an initiative of the DreamHouse Foundation, is designed to cultivate leader-
ship, critical thinking, and communication skills among HBCU students nationwide. The 2026 competition featured categories including Prepared
Public Speaking, Extemporaneous Public Speaking, and Spoken Word Recitation, with participants evaluated by a panel of distinguished judges.
Page 5 – Carolina Panorama Newspaper – May 6 – 12, 2026
May is Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Month in the United States, and the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) seeks to remind South Carolinians of its available services and theimportance of maintaining good mental health and early intervention.
The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that more than one in five adults and one in seven youth ages 6-17 experience mental illness each year. Each May, BHDD, mental health advocacy groups, churches, schools, and civic organizations strive to raise awareness about the importance of recognizing signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, direct those in need and their families to appropriate care, expand the conversation around maintaining good mental health, and fight the stigma that too often prevents people in need from seeking help. Governor Henry McMaster has issued a proclamation declaring May as Mental Health Month.
For information about BHDD mental health resources, including local treatment, crisis resources, free, online screening tools, and more, visit www.bhdd.sc.gov To find BHDD Mental Health Month events in your area, visit the BHDD Office of Mental Health’s Facebook page. (@page.)
BHDD aims to create a cohesive, statewide system focused on improving behavioral health, substance use and disability care, especially for the state’s most complex patients. The agency operates state hospitals and community mental health centers, and partners with county-run, privately-operated facilities and contracted providers to deliver a comprehensive array of services throughout South Carolina. The agency provides outpatient mental health care through a network of 16 community mental health centers and associated clinics serving all 46 counties and inpatient psychiatric treatment in three state hospitals.
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