Anne Marie Ward and Megan Conner may have seemingly different interests, but they certainly have one thing in common.

The two high school seniors work hard at everything they do and that hard work has paid off in a big way as they are the 2015 Charles C. Smith Education Foundation scholarship recipients.

Smith, the founder of the Smith Ford Motor Company in Washington, which is still run by the Smith family, loved to help people, particularly young people. Smith, who passed away several years ago, wanted to make sure he left a legacy for the young people of the community and that came in the form of the Charles C. Smith Education Foundation’s annual scholarships. High School seniors from Warren Hills Regional High School and North Hunterdon Regional High School are selected (one from each school) each year. The 4-year scholarships are worth a total of $10,000 per student. Over the years, scholarships have been awarded to dozens of students, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ward, of Washington, will attend Fordham University in New York in the fall as a dual English-Spanish major with an interest in non-profit law. She spent six weeks last summer volunteering in Nicaragua with an organization called “Amigos de las Americas.”

“It was a really intensive experience,” said Ward, who lived with a host family. “We really got immersed in the culture and did a lot of workshops with kids. It was a great experience.”

At Warren Hills, Ward has been very involved with two clubs, SAVE and Debate.

Conner is set to go to Suffolk University in Boston in the fall where she plans on continuing one of her favorite pastimes, playing basketball for the Division III college. She is looking to take that sports interest a step further as she will major in marketing with a concentration in sports marketing.

“I love sports,” said Connor, a forward who played four years for the North Hunterdon Lady Lions. “I want to stay involved with sports for as long as I can.”

Basketball has taken her to national tourneys in places like Chicago and Washington, D.C.

It’s not all about basketball for the resident of Lebanon, though. Conner has been very active with Peer Leaders at North Hunterdon and she also a volunteer helper with the Oldwick Fire Department.

“Our grandfather would truly be proud of Megan and Anne Marie,” agreed Jeff and John Smith, both of whom work at the Ford Dealership on Route 31. “It is clear that both of them have worked very, very hard to succeed. We have no doubt that they will be successful in their educational pursuits and whatever they do in the future.”