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By Nikki O’Brien

Davie Community Foundation

The following is the first in a series of articles on Davie Community Foundation scholarship winners and their accomplishments since receiving the awards.

Since graduating from Davie High in 2013, Abigail Lunsford has had quite the journey working toward her hopes and dreams. She received the Community Scholarship from the Davie Community Foundation and went on to graduate with Highest of Honors from UNC Chapel Hill in 2017. After earning her bachelor’s degree in classical archeology, she went on to pursue her graduate degree in the same field.

When she began her master’s program at Florida State University she began teaching classes for the first time and fell in love with the field. She now teaches high school Latin for Buncombe County Schools outside of Asheville.

When asked what one or two important lessons she learned along the way, she said: “There is no one path to success or contentment, and hard work always pays off.

“The greatest advice I can give to high school or college students is to volunteer your time in your community. Volunteer hours, of course, look good on college applications but it also allows you to give back to and be involved in the community and the lives of the people around you. One of my most formative experiences at that age was volunteering regularly at A Storehouse for Jesus and I cannot recommend volunteer work enough.”

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Lots of things have been going on in Michael Domanski’s world since graduating Davie High in 2008.

He was the recipient of the Roy and Ruth Eldridge Scholarship and went on to NC State where he majored in landscape srchitecture.

“Landscape srchitecture is a little more than just planning out landscaping, I focus on logistics, engineering, and structuring” says Michael.

Upon graduation, he worked for a company that specializes in the planning of roads, pathways, and foot traffic issues on commercial properties and campuses. Throughout his time at this company, his skills evolved and he decided to branch out on his own along with five other like-minded colleagues to form their own company in February 2022.

Domanski is the owner of MESH Overlay Design. His company provides logistical event planning for major sporting events such as the PGA and NCAA National Championships. His education helped pave the way to provide structural site analysis and management. So, the next time you visit a hospitality tent at a local golf event or walk down a pedestrian walk, ask yourself if Davie native Michael Domanski had a hand in this efficiency.

When what advice he had for Davie students looking to pursue higher education and their careers he stated: “Keep an open mind. It’s ok to adjust and pivot. Keep going and always make sure to be a good teammate. People will always want to work with you if you are positive.”

He said one lesson thathe learned in high school that has helped him achieve his success was to “be an easy person to work with.”