Even as a young child, Zachary Drawdy had a knack for building. Whether with blocks or Legos, he was always a “hands-on learner,” says his mother, Samantha Drawdy. It made sense, then, that he would choose to major in mechanical engineering and follow in the footsteps of his grandmother, Ann Johnson (’87 MSW), and father, Randall Drawdy (’87 business), by attending the University of South Carolina. He was just finishing an internship with Michelin and ready to start his senior year when he died of sudden death by epilepsy while diagnosed with COVID-19 in August 2021.
Zachary was known for his intelligence, faith, athleticism, humor and commitment to others. He loved his community. He was always looking out for the other kids in their neighborhood, recalls Samantha, especially the younger ones. Heavily involved in the local Airsoft community and high school AFROTC program, he was a leader and “nurturer” by nature and did what he could to care for those around him.
His family established a scholarship fund in his honor so that he can continue to help people even after his death.
“He wanted to do something that mattered,” Samantha says. “He always poured into other people, so I like the idea that there’s a scholarship where he could help other people, because that’s very much who he was.”
The Zachary Lewis Drawdy Engineering Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships for engineering students regardless of cognate. Though technically started by Johnson, many family members and friends contributed to the amount — disproving the idea that one must have exorbitant wealth in order to give back.
“I wanted to do something to remember Zachary in a way that’s not just having a picture in my living room, but in a way that would benefit somebody else,” Johnson says. “He was an amazing person.”
While the family considered donating to other organizations, they chose the university because of the difference it made in Zachary’s life. Zachary loved the fact that he was attending his father’s alma mater and that his brother, Caleb (’24 chemical engineering), would be joining him in the engineering program at USC. Also, as a teacher, Samantha knows personally just how much of an impact a proper education can have on a person’s future. A reminder of the friends, professors and opportunities Zachary had made her want those same successes for others.
“We felt like he was meant to do something,” she says. “We try to focus on the fact that he was a gift rather than a loss. We want to share his love and light with other people.”